France's competition authority has been requested by the government to study the 2G and 3G network roaming agreement between Orange France and Free Mobile. The antitrust regulator will determine whether the agreement would give Free an unfair advantage over its competitors if it were extended in time or scope. The authority will consult telecom regulator Arcep and stakeholders as part of its analysis. Some operators would like to share their networks to accelerate deployment in the 800MHz band in least densely populated parts of the country and seek clarity on the compatibility with competition rules of different approaches. The government wants to know if network sharing could be allowed in more densely populated areas beyond priority deployment zones, without harming competition. The authority expects to publish its decision at the end of February.
