The French government expects to raise EUR 2.5 billion from the sale of LTE (4G) mobile internet frequencies, rather than the EUR 1.85 billion previously thought, according to a draft document seen by Les Echos. Industry and digital economy minister Eric Besson confirmed this information to Le Figaro. The document also shows that no bidder will be able to obtain over 50 percent of the spectrum, to be divided into four lots of 15 MHz, which is seen as a blow to Bouygues Telecom, which had sought a 25 percent maximum to prevent its bigger rivals, notably Orange France, from winning a larger proportion. Company CEO Martin Bouygues had stated that for the first time and for technological reasons, operators with more bandwidth would be able to provide their customers with higher speeds and quality [for mobile internet access]. As telecommunications regulator Arcep and the minister have already said, 4G network operators will have to give MVNOs fair access to their infrastructure and will be required to deploy the technology throughout the country, 99.6 percent of the population within 15 years, according to the text.
