Zero Forfait, other MVNOs ask to be hosted by Free Mobile

A handful of French MVNOs, including Zero Forfait, have asked new MNO Free Mobile to host them on its network, even if it only covers 27 percent of the French population with its own base stations, Les Echos reports. A MVNO executive acknowledged that their request was also a way of learning Free Mobile's cost structure. The new operator is required under its licence terms to give MVNOs access to its network. For the time being, Free Mobile has refused politely or not replied to these requests. Zero Forfait founder Patrick Gentemann told the newspaper that there was still room financially for the most agile operators. He said Zero Forfait made a EUR 900,000 net profit on EUR 15 million of revenue in 2011. Although its margins will decrease, he expressed confidence in the support of SFR, the operator whose network it uses.