The French government has accepted operator Bouygues Telecom's request to refarm 1800MHz 2G frequencies to 4G at a price of around EUR 60 million a year over 20 years, reports Les Echos. This is around six times more than operators are paying to offer 2G and is also more that the 4G licences sold in the 2600MHz band, which cost each operator around EUR 250 million. Operators who take up the option will continue to pay an additional variable fee of 1 percent of turnover. Digital economy minister Fleur Pellerin told Le Figaro that the money raised would be used by the government to help finance the country's fibre rollout. Telecom regulator Arcep has until 20 March to set the date when operators will be able to start using the 1800MHz band for 4G.
