French state sells EUR 1 bln in Orange shares
FRANCE 31 JUL

French state sells EUR 1 bln in Orange shares

The French state has sold some of its shares in Orange, equal to a 2.5 percent stake in the company. Public investment bank Bpifrance said it divested 66.5 million Orange ⁠shares via a secondary share sale, at a price of EUR 16.57 per share, to raise a total EUR 1.1 billion. This reduces the government's stake, held via Bpifrance and the shareholdings agency APE, to 20.4 percent of capital and 27.0 percent of the voting rights. 

Bouygues Telecom service revenues rise 1% in Q2, mobile ARPU down 3%
FRANCE 30 JUL

Bouygues Telecom service revenues rise 1% in Q2, mobile ARPU down 3%

French operator Bouygues Telecom has confirmed its full-year financial targets after reporting a year-on-year increase of nearly 1 percent in service revenues for the three months to June (-0.2% in Q1). The second quarter benefited from a 25 percent increase in 'Other sales' to EUR 403 million, helping drive overall revenue growth of nearly 5 percent to EUR 2.01 billion. EBITDAaL was nearly stable at EUR 539 million, compared with EUR 541 million in the year-earlier period, representing an EBITDAaL margin o

Bouygues Telecom launches 'Certified cheaper or your money back' pledge on new smartphone purchases
FRANCE 29 JUL

Bouygues Telecom launches 'Certified cheaper or your money back' pledge on new smartphone purchases

French telecom operator Bouygues Telecom has launched a new marketing initiative aimed at reassuring customers purchasing smartphones through its sales channels. New handset purchases are now covered by the new 'Certified cheaper or your money back' pledge, which applies if the same model is available at a lower price from a selected group of retailers (Apple Store, Amazon.fr, Auchan, Boulanger, Carrefour, Cdiscount.fr, Darty, Fnac, Free, Orange, SFR and Samsung Store).

Inherent strengthens AWS expertise with acquisition of French cloud expert Skyloud
FRANCE 29 JUL

Inherent strengthens AWS expertise with acquisition of French cloud expert Skyloud

Inherent, the parent company of French B2B operator Adista, has announced the acquisition of Skyloud, a Lyon-based company specialising in the design of cloud architectures for software developers. Since its creation in 2020, Skyloud has built significant expertise in Amazon Web Services (AWS), as demonstrated by its AWS Partner Select Tier Services and AWS Partner Public Sector certifications. Through the acquisition, Inherent aims to strengthen its public cloud capabilities in areas such as DevOps, SecOps

SFR tests quantum-safe encryption on transport network with Nokia
FRANCE 29 JUL

SFR tests quantum-safe encryption on transport network with Nokia

French operator SFR has shared details of a recent test conducted at its TechnoLab site in Velizy, in collaboration with Nokia. The two partners said they successfully demonstrated the ability of SFR's WDM optical transport network to integrate end-to-end quantum-safe encryption, in preparation for cybersecurity requirements in the post-quantum era. The test evaluated Nokia's Quantum Safe Network (QSN) approach, which automatically encrypts data at the optical layer without requiring additional equipment. E

Canal Plus renews funding for French film industry in nearly EUR 1 bln deal for 2028-2032
FRANCE 28 JUL

Canal Plus renews funding for French film industry in nearly EUR 1 bln deal for 2028-2032

French pay-TV operator Canal Plus has announced a five-year agreement renewing its longstanding commitment to support the French film industry. Like the previous partnership covering the 2025-2027 period, this new deal allows Canal Plus to broadcast films to its subscriber base as early as six months after their cinema release in France. The agreement applies to both Canal+ and Cine+ OCS activities, and commits EUR 980 million to French and European productions over a five-year period starting in 2028.

France's Arcep plans to measure environmental impact of generative AI
FRANCE 28 JUL

France's Arcep plans to measure environmental impact of generative AI

French telecom authority Arcep is seeking stakeholder feedback on a draft decision that would extend the collection of environmental data to providers of generative AI services. The regulator also plans to broaden its data collection requirements in areas already covered by its digital sustainability survey, particularly to better assess the opportunities for reusing excess heat generated by data centres.

Orange France service revenue trend improves in Q2 as customer growth continues
FRANCE 28 JUL

Orange France service revenue trend improves in Q2 as customer growth continues

Orange said its French operations should achieve full-year "stable +" growth in retail service revenues excluding the declining PSTN business, following a 1.3 percent increase in the three months to June on a comparable basis. This growth rate improved for the third consecutive quarter, supported by moderate ARPU expansion in convergent offers. Including PSTN services, retail service revenues rose 0.2 percent to EUR 2.81 billion in the second quarter (-0.1% in Q1). Equipment sales (+8.6%) and the 'other rev

Orange plans French data centre venture with Morrison to boost capacity
FRANCE 28 JUL

Orange plans French data centre venture with Morrison to boost capacity

Orange and New Zealand-based infrastructure asset manager Morrison have agreed terms for a 50-50 joint venture that will incorporate the telecom group's data centre facilities in France. The proposed venture aims to increase existing data centre capacity nearly tenfold to 400 MW, supporting rapidly growing cloud- and AI-driven demand from Orange and Orange Business customers. The two partners said their exclusivity agreement covers a EUR 3 billion investment programme combining Orange assets, Morrison fundi

Orange raises FY outlook after MasOrange takeover, organic growth in Q2
FRANCE 28 JUL

Orange raises FY outlook after MasOrange takeover, organic growth in Q2

Orange reported accelerated growth in the second quarter, helped by its takeover of all of MasOrange in Spain and solid underlying growth. Revenues rose 9.2 percent year-on-year to EUR 10.85 billion, and EBITDAal was up 10.4 percent to EUR 3.53 billion. On a comparable basis, adjusting for acquisitions and currency effects, EBITDAal grew 3.9 percent, and Orange increased its target for full-year growth to over 4 percent from 3 percent previously. 

Orange rescues French 5G private network specialist Obvios after financial difficulties
FRANCE 27 JUL

Orange rescues French 5G private network specialist Obvios after financial difficulties

The commercial court of Rennes has appointed Orange as the new owner of French 5G private network specialist Obvios, reports Ouest-France. A spin-off of research institution B<>com (formerly B.com), Obvios was established in 2022 to commercialise the 'Dome' private 5G network offering developed by its parent company. It was placed under a safeguard procedure following financial difficulties, prompting a search for a new owner to secure its long-term future.

Telehouse partners Cirrascale to deploy AI inference within French data centres
FRANCE 27 JUL

Telehouse partners Cirrascale to deploy AI inference within French data centres

Telehouse France and Cirrascale Cloud Services have partnered to deploy Cirrascale's AI Inference Platform within Telehouse data centres in France, allowing enterprises to run AI workloads closer to their data without relying on external GPU infrastructure. Under the partnership, Telehouse will provide the data centre and interconnection infrastructure, while Cirrascale will deploy and operate the AI inference platform. The companies said the arrangement is intended to reduce latency and support data contro

FRANCE 26 JUL

Arcep publishes draft decision on wholesale market for DTT broadcasting services

French telecom authority Arcep is seeking stakeholder feedback on a draft decision setting out the regulatory framework for wholesale DTT broadcasting services for the five-year period to 2031. The framework incorporates a revised version of the undertakings submitted by TDF, which Arcep has designated as the operator with significant market power. These commitments define how TDF will continue to provide access to its infrastructure in the upstream wholesale market, thereby supporting competition in the do

FRANCE 24 JUL

Orange France hails quality recognition from QoS report on FTTH networks

French operator Orange has highlighted its leading performance in the eighth edition of the QoS (Quality of Service) report on FTTH networks published by telecom authority Arcep, covering the six months to March. The study's indicators are based on data collected from infrastructure operators and ISPs active on their networks. At infrastructure level, the report identifies the worst-performing FTTH networks in France based on failure rates. It also assesses ISPs' compliance with industry practices when inst

FRANCE 24 JUL

French regulator opens new consultation on spectrum licences expiring in 2030-2035

Telecom authority Arcep has launched a second consultation on the process for reallocating spectrum resources in mainland France for licences due to expire between 2030 and 2035. The proposals set out in the document take into account the views expressed by stakeholders during an initial consultation conducted by Arcep in the fourth quarter of 2025. They cover the 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1.8 GHz, 2.1 GHz and 2.6 GHz frequency bands, while excluding 3.5 GHz spectrum, as licences in the 3.5 GHz band includ

FRANCE 23 JUL

Google AI Overviews and AI Mode arrive in France

Google has announced the rollout of its AI Overviews and AI Mode search tools in France, following a global deployment that began in May 2024. Their introduction in France has come later than in comparable markets, reflecting regulatory concerns related to French legislation implementing the EU copyright directive. Commenting on the launch, Google said it has introduced an opt-out mechanism allowing website publishers to decide whether their content can be used by the new search tools, powered by Gemini. Th

FRANCE 23 JUL

Samsung Pay expands availability in France with new banking partner BNP Paribas

French banking group BNP Paribas and its digital-only brand Hello Bank! have begun offering customers the option to make contactless payments through the Samsung Pay wallet. The move further expands Samsung Pay's presence in France, where it already counts BPCE, Boursorama, and Credit Agricole among its banking partners. The service is now available to BNP Paribas customers who register their Visa or CB bank card within the digital wallet.

FRANCE 22 JUL

Fransat to switch off HD service by 2030

French satellite TV operator Fransat, part of Eutelsat, is conducting an information campaign targeting customers whose equipment is not compatible with UHD and HEVC broadcasting standards. The communication is primarily aimed at viewers using selected HD set-top boxes, following Fransat's decision to phase out HD support during a transition period beginning on 01 October 2026 and ending in 2030. Once the transition is complete, customers will be required to switch to UHD- and HEVC-compatible equipment to c

FRANCE 22 JUL

France to roll out social media ban for under-15s from September

France's secretary of state for AI and digital affairs, Anne Le Henanff, has confirmed the upcoming implementation of new rules that will ban users under the age of fifteen from social media platforms. The ban will apply to new accounts from September and will take effect for existing users from 01 January 2027. The measures follow the adoption of a revised version of draft legislation approved by the French parliament earlier this year. The new law introduces an age-verification requirement for social medi

FRANCE 22 JUL

Samsung eyes EUR 1 bln investment in French generative AI company Mistral - report

Samsung Electronics is in talks to participate in a funding round for French AI champion Mistral with an investment of EUR 1 billion, reports the Financial Times citing unconfirmed sources. The South Korean group, which previously invested in Mistral through its venture capital arm, could also be joined by private equity firm EQT via its Scaleup Europe fund. This latest fundraising could reportedly value Mistral at around EUR 20 billion.

FRANCE 21 JUL

Cloudflare fails in court challenge to Arcom's order against Russian content

France's highest administrative court, the Conseil d'Etat, has dismissed a case brought by US-based internet services company Cloudflare seeking to overturn a regulatory order issued by media regulator Arcom. The company had been instructed to stop the French distribution of nineteen websites linked to Russia on the grounds that their content breached EU measures adopted in support of Ukraine. The court concluded that Arcom had acted within its powers and rejected Cloudflare's objections to the regulatory d

FRANCE 21 JUL

Free Mobile adds Caribbean destinations to Max roaming data offer

French operator Free Mobile, part of the Iliad group, has added five Caribbean destinations to the international footprint covered by the unlimited roaming allowance of its premium Max plan. The data roaming offer now includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and the southern part of Saint Martin, which forms part of the Dutch West Indies.

FRANCE 21 JUL

Arcep seeks views on reassignment of L-band frequencies in late 2030

French telecom authority Arcep has launched a second consultation on the proposed reassignment of L-band spectrum once existing licences expire in the 1518-1559 MHz, 1610-1660.5 MHz and 2483.5-2500 MHz frequency ranges. The move follows an initial consultation conducted between September and November 2025, which sought feedback on demand for emerging satellite-based applications such as IoT (internet of things) and D2D (direct-to-device) services. Arcep is now proposing a specific scenario under which the e

FRANCE 20 JUL

Bouygues Telecom Entreprises director to leave role after nearly a decade – report

French operator Bouygues Telecom is preparing to reorganise its B2C and B2B operations in the context of the proposed acquisition of a portion of SFR's activities. According to La Tribune, the new structure will result in a change of role for Francois Treuil, the managing director who has led the operator's Entreprises arm since mid-2017. Treuil is reportedly set to move internally to a position that has yet to be announced.

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19 JUL 23:41

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