According to the latest figures published by the Agence nationale des fréquences (ANFR), France now has 25,105 authorised 5G sites, of which 14,284 have been declared technically operational by operators.

Up 3.7% over one month, the increase in the number of 5G sites owes much to the legacy of past networks - and especially 4G. The ANFR points out that "almost all of these 5G installations have been authorised on existing sites already used by 2G, 3G or 4G technologies" and that only two mobile sites in France host only 5G.

According to operator statements, 56.9% of the 25,105 5G sites authorised at the end of May are technically operational. The main trends of the deployment carried out in a scattered manner by the operators to date are now emerging.

Free confirms its attraction for the 700 MHz band for accelerated coverage of the territory. 16,683 5G sites are counted in this frequency band, of which 9,584 are declared technically operational.

Bouygues Telecom, Orange and SFR have adopted similar tactics. The three operators rely on the 2.1 GHz band, which is already used for 4G. At the end of May, they had 8,376 authorised 5G sites in this band, with 3,973 declared technically operational.

However, operators are not forgetting about the "queen band" of 5G, the 3.5 GHz band, as they seem determined to move on to this specific 5G band.

The ANFR counted 8,550 authorised 5G sites in this band at the end of May, of which 3,973 were declared technically operational. This bodes well for the further deployment of the new generation of mobile technology.

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Source : ZDnet

5G has given rise to many fantasies even before its launch in France. However, the French National Agency for Health Safety (Anses) considers that there is no public health risk associated with the deployment of 5G to date.

It must be said that while the new mobile standard promises to speed up our communications, it currently uses several frequency bands: those between 700 MHz and 2.1 GHz, already used by 3G and 4G, a new band allocated to operators in November 2020 and in a few years' time, the 26 GHz band.

For the first two frequency bands, already used for 3G and 4G, there are no new risks. After several studies carried out upstream for the deployment of 5G, the Anses explains that it is "unlikely at this stage that the deployment of 5G in the frequency band around 3.5 GHz will constitute a new health risk".

On the other hand, for the 26 GHz band, which has not yet been allocated in France, the organisation is more moderate: "At present, the data are not sufficient to conclude whether or not there are health effects".

The government welcomed these reassuring results, considering the deployment of 5G as "a turning point in innovation". However, 5G is not yet completely out of the woods. For several months now, the High Council for the Climate had been warning that the new connectivity standard was "likely to significantly increase" the carbon footprint of the digital sector, which is already one of the biggest polluters in the world.

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Source : Journal du Geek

Arcep published its observatory of commercial 5G deployments on April 14th. As of March 31th, operators have commercially opened 12,917 5G sites, including 2,838 in the 3.5 GHz band. While analysis of the operators' curves shows that no one is neglecting the fifth-generation technology, not all are moving at the same pace.

With nearly 13,000 sites open in 5G in France at the end of March, mobile network deployment is steady. In just a few months, operators have secured coverage for millions of potential subscribers, and Arcep is even talking about "steady progress for the first few months of 2021."

Orange has activated the most sites and antennas in the 5G "core band" with 1,105 sites in 3.5 GHz. The incumbent operator is also supporting this deployment with 2.1 GHz technology (medium frequencies), enabling speeds equivalent to 4G since it exploits a band already in operation. By 2023, this middle band will provide access to new 5G services in current 4G areas.

Free Mobile continues to do well. Although the operator founded by Xavier Niel has activated fewer 3.5 GHz sites than Orange (824 vs. 1,105), it is the operator that has opened the most sites in France: 8,074 in total, i.e. 1,030 additional sites in one month, compared with 338 for Orange.

Unlike its three competitors, Free is still betting heavily on low frequencies (700 MHz). More than 7,000 sites have been opened in this band, which has lower bandwidths but has the advantage of penetrating buildings better.

As for the other two operators. Bouygues Telecom is still ahead of SFR, and even Orange in the total number of sites, from a statistical point of view. The operator - a subsidiary of the French construction giant - has activated a total of 2,263 sites, including 491 in 3.5 GHz and 2,091 in 2.1 GHz.

In terms of the number of 5G sites opened in 3.5 GHz, SFR is on a par with Bouygues Telecom with a total of 418. But the operator with the red square is clearly behind for the additional sites. Indeed, it has commercially opened 778 sites in 2.1 GHz. That is a total of 1 196 activated 5G sites all frequencies combined. This places SFR quite far from its first competitor.

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Source : Clubic

The Arcep, by putting an end to the call for tenders for 5G frequencies, has just delivered the positioning of operators on the 3.5 GHz band.

Only Free will have spent 3 million euros to secure a central position in the 5G "queen band". Iliad's French subsidiary will have access to 70 MHz of frequencies on a block ranging from 3.64 GHz to 3.71 GHz.

In detail, SFR will have 80 MHz of frequencies on a block ranging from 3.49 GHz to 3.57 GHz, while the 70 MHz of frequencies held by Bouygues Telecom will be located between 3.57 GHz and 3.64 GHz. Finally, Orange, which holds the largest block of frequencies, with 90 MHz of 5G frequencies, will have a block ranging from 3.71 GHz to 3.80 GHz.

During this second phase of the auction, the operators have disbursed a total of 2.78 billion euros. Bouygues Telecom paid 602 million euros to acquire 70 MHz of frequencies in the 3.5 GHz band, as did Free, which added 3 million euros to this sum to benefit from the positioning of its choice. For its part, SFR invested 728 million euros to get its hands on 80 MHz of frequencies, while Orange spent 854 million euros to get its hands on 90 MHz of frequencies in the 3.5 GHz band.

350 million spent by each operator to purchase fixed 50 MHz blocks will be reimbursed "in 15 equal parts over 15 years, the first part upon the award of the frequency license and the other 14 parts on the anniversary date of the award".

The amounts paid by the operators during the auction and positioning phase will be repayable "in four equal parts payable over four years, the first as soon as the authorization to use the frequencies is granted and the other three on the anniversary date of the grant".

"In addition to these sums, a variable annual portion equal to 1% of the revenues generated by the operation of these frequencies will be added to these amounts," said the telecom police officer.

The frequencies will be officially delivered by the Arcep as of November 18th. But operators will still have to wait for the ANFR's approval before they can market their first 5G offers to the general public and professionals, which should take about 10 additional days.

Concerning the marketing of 5G packages, the operators have not yet made their strategies known. In any case, they will have to wait for the approval of the municipalities to officially launch the 5G era among users. If patience is therefore required, operators are already beginning the major maneuvers to lower the cost of their 5G infrastructure.

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Source : ZDNet

On the evening of the second day of the auction, the State is already assured of pocketing at least €2.65 billion for the allocation of 5G frequencies in France.

Organised by Arcep, the auction covers eleven 10 MHz blocks coveted by Bouygues Telecom (Bouygues), Orange, Free (Iliad) and SFR (Altice).

Each of the 10 MHz blocks, put up for sale at a minimum price of €70 million, reached a new price of €114 million on the evening of 30 September. It had already risen to 90 million on the first day of the auction the day before. The Arcep specifies that the process will continue on Thursday.

Having already raised 1.4 billion euros during the non-auction allocation of four 50 MHz blocks - one per operator - the amount reached by the auction guarantees 2.65 billion euros to the State for the moment. Orange is still asking for five blocks, followed by SFR and Bouygues Telecom with three blocks each, then Iliad with just two blocks.

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Source : Challenges

The Grand Duchy's telecoms gendarme has just issued its call for tenders for the award of 5G frequencies in the 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz bands for a total amount of 41.3 million euros.

The operators Orange Luxembourg and Post have both been granted 130 MHz of frequencies in these two bands. For its part, the operator Proximus has also been offered 120 MHz of frequencies in these two bands, while the operator Luxembourg Online will have 10 MHz of frequencies at its disposal. Finally, Eltrona participated in the auction but did not win any spectrum.

The licences distributed will thus be valid for a period of 15 years, renewable at least once for a period of five years. They will be subject to coverage obligations aimed at ensuring the availability of 5G in the municipality of Luxembourg by the end of 2020 and throughout the country by 2025 at the latest.

Orange, which has a strong presence in Luxembourg, welcomed the significant 110 MHz of spectrum in the 3.5 Ghz band. "We have obtained 110 MHz in the 3.5 GHz band, which is the maximum. This will enable us to provide our customers with the highest capacity to use or imagine the services of tomorrow", said Corinne Lozé, CEO of Orange Luxembourg.

In France, the call for tenders for the allocation of 5G frequency blocks in the 3.5 GHz band will be held between 20 and 30 September under the aegis of Arcep. The end of the procedure should make it possible to allocate the remaining 110 MHz of frequencies to each of the four competing operators.

This auction phase will be followed in October by an additional phase during which the operators will again be able to bid to the highest bidder to determine their positioning in the 3.5 GHz band. The allocation of frequencies in the 3.5 GHz band alone should bring in a minimum of €2.17 billion for the French authorities.

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Source : ZDNet

The telecoms regulator has published a new timetable for the continuation of the 5G frequency allocation procedure in the 3.5 GHz band. It will therefore be between September 20th and 30th.  Bouygues Telecom, Free, Orange and SFR, which qualified last February following a call for applications, will participate.

At the end of the procedure, they will each obtain a 50 GHz block in return for 350 million euros per head and a number of deployment obligations. In early autumn, the main auction will allow them to complete this first block by winning one or more 10 GHz blocks. This will be followed by an auction to position the resulting frequencies in the 3.4-3.8 GHz section. The Arcep indicates that the final allocation of frequencies will take place "in October or November". Operators will thus be able to market their future 5G packages "by the end of the year".

However, in the end, operators will not be obliged to provide 5G coverage in at least two major cities before the end of 2020. The delay in the procedure has led the telecoms police to lift this obligation accompanying the first 50GHz block. The marketing will be done "at the initiative of the operators" even if the Arcep promises to remain attentive to the conditions of marketing of the new network and the promises of the operators.

The first obligation will therefore be to deploy 5G on at least 3,000 of their sites by the end of 2022. Operators will also have to distilled at least 240 Mb/s on 75 % of their sites into 4G+ by the same deadline.

This is a reminder that the specifications have been drawn up so that the deployment of 5G and 4G coverage of territories go hand in hand. It is also a response to Bouygues Telecom and SFR, who recently balanced the deployment of the 5th generation network against the need to improve 4G coverage in rural areas.

At the same time, Arcep also intends to respond to growing concerns about the environmental impact of digital technology. Within the framework of a new platform called "for a sustainable digital environment", "associations, institutions, operators, digital companies, personalities" are invited to contribute to it during a series of thematic workshops starting on July 9th.

A report by the end of the year will provide an opportunity to take stock of this work and will propose the "first avenues for taking the response to environmental issues further", which the Authority intends to make a "new chapter in regulation".

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Source : DegroupNews

Margrethe Vestager, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of digital technologies, is reported to have called the European telecoms ministers to order so that the allocation of the 5G spectrum does not fall too far behind schedule.

The EU's current objectives in this area, set for 2016, are to bring 5G to market in at least one major city in each EU country by the end of 2020, as well as in all urban areas and major transport axes by 2025.

The Vice-President's intervention would follow a request from Croatia to review this action plan and timetable.

Many countries, including Spain, Austria, Portugal, Poland and the Czech Republic, have still not allocated their first 5G frequencies. Procedures have been postponed due to the pandemic and subsequent containment measures.

In France, auctions are expected to be postponed until September at the latest for a subsequent deployment. Commercialization is therefore possible this fall.

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Source : 01net

The appeals lodged by Priartem and Agir pour l'environnement have just been rejected by the Council of State. The administrative judge considers that the character of urgency is not fulfilled and will rule on the merits of the case in the summer of 2020.

Four appeals had been filed in mid-February 2020 in which the two associations requested the immediate suspension of the decree setting the conditions for the allocation of 5G frequencies and the decree organising the tender procedure. They criticized the lack of an environmental assessment prior to deployment and its environmental and health consequences.

The National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (Anses) made similar criticisms in its preliminary report published at the end of February 2020. It explained that it regretted the lack of statistical data on the health effects of exposure to certain frequencies used by 5G.

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Source : L'Usine Digitale

The names of the operators who will participate in the allocation of the first frequencies dedicated to 5G were unveiled by Arcep on 26 February. Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free have therefore applied. The four major national operators will compete in an auction, scheduled to start in mid-April, to win back as many frequencies as possible. And the stakes are high: those who win the most spectrum will be able to offer a better service than the others.

For the Arcep, the fact that the four major operators have responded is a source of satisfaction. For the president of the institution, Sébastien Soriano, it proves that the conditions of this sale "are reasonable". Even if some operators have shouted the opposite in recent months, believing that the government was financially too greedy. They also felt that the spectrum came with obligations to cover the territory - especially rural areas, which are much less profitable than cities - too large and costly.

No other telecom players applied for 5G, including the large MVNOs. The same is true for industrialists in different sectors. It must be said that the allocation requires the purchase of a minimum of 40 MHz of frequencies. This measure, which aims "to avoid the fragmentation of the spectrum" explains Sébastien Soriano, has de facto "set the bar a little high" for industrialists.

Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free, provided they comply with the required commitments, should each recover a block of 50 MHz at a fixed price of 350 million euros. 350 million. A battle will follow for the remaining 110 MHz, which will be auctioned in blocks of 10 MHz, but no operator will be able to win more than 100 MHz of spectrum in total.

The Arcep is due to determine in the coming weeks how the auctions will be conducted. Several modalities are still to be worked out.

It should be noted that during the auctions, operators will not be allowed to discuss and agree on certain common strategies among themselves, which would distort competition. If there is no change in the agenda, the regulator expects the frequencies to be allocated in June. Operators will then be able to start rolling out 5G in early summer, in July.

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Source : La Tribune

Published on February 4th, a Tactis study shows that in peri-urban areas, around 30% more sites will be needed to offer a 5G service level equivalent to 4G. This is particularly true in rural areas, where twice as many sites will be needed to provide equivalent coverage, and up to three times as many to deliver a broadband service.

To arrive at these estimates, Tactis experts have simulated 4G coverage in several peri-urban and rural areas from existing mobile antenna sites. They then simulated what 5G coverage would look like based on these same sites. In its projections, Tactis uses only the 3.5 GHz frequency band. However, it is clear that coverage is much less in 5G than in 4G.

Why such differences? Because the frequencies used to provide 5G will not be the same as for 4G, and they do not have the same characteristics. "Current 4G deployments use low frequencies, which carry far, while the high frequencies that will be used for 5G deployments, in the 3.5 GHz band, offer a lot of throughput but carry much less far," explains Julien Renard, radio expert at Tactis. However, the Tactis simulations do not include the 700 MHz frequency band, even though these frequencies are low and allow much better coverage of territories. To explain this choice, Julien Renard points out that the 700 MHz band will not allow us to benefit from "all the promises of 5G". It is impossible, he says, to offer a real broadband service with these frequencies.

The densification of 5G networks in the heart of cities and the most urbanized areas, which are generally very profitable for operators, will certainly be a priority for Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free. On the other hand, the firm is looking at peri-urban areas and rural areas, which are less profitable. To acquire 3.5 GHz frequencies, operators will have to commit to ensuring that by 2024 and 2025, 25% of the number of 5G sites deployed will be in rural areas. However, there is no obligation to deploy new sites in rural areas. However, this will be an imperative for providing quality 5G coverage, according to Tactis.

The risk? A new digital divide between urban and rural areas. The latter could end up, in the long term, with non-existent or poor quality 5G networks. The solution to further densify the networks could come from a greater mutualisation of mobile infrastructures.

Operators are already thinking about this. In an interview with Les Echos, Stéphane Richard, CEO of Orange, judged that "the question of an advanced mutualization is raised. [...] Orange has signed (agreements in this sense) in Spain, Poland and Belgium. In France, some of our competitors already share their networks to a large extent; we are also thinking about it". The major manoeuvres could start as early as this year, once the 5G frequencies have been allocated.

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Source : La Tribune

This time, let's do it! Operators who wish to launch into 5G can now apply to the Arcep for frequencies in the 3.4 - 3.8 GHz band. Operators must apply before 12 noon on February 25th 2020.

The regulatory authority will examine the applications and issue authorisations during the first half of 2020. It is expected that the four operators - Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free Mobile - will be successful at the end of the award procedure.

As resources are limited, the real question is how many frequencies each applicant will have.

A mixed allocation system has been planned: the frequencies are divided into fixed-price lots and variable-price lots, which will be determined by auction. The fixed-price lots each contain a 50 MHz block, while the variable-price lots consist of a 10 MHz block. An operator must apply for at least 40 MHz and is not allowed to have more than 100 MHz.

Fixed price blocks are sold for EUR 350 million each. The others start at EUR 70 million.

However, the government does not intend to squeeze the candidates and a certain flexibility in the purchase of frequencies is thus provided for: the 10 MHz blocks can be paid for over 4 years and the 50 MHz blocks over 15 years - this is the duration of the allocation of frequencies. This is the duration of the frequency allocation, which may be extended if necessary.

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Source : Numerama

On December 17th last, Arcep announced that it had agreed with the authorities on the specifications for the future 5G call for tenders. To afford the first 50 MHz blocks in the 3.5 GHz band, each operator will have to pay the fixed sum of 350 million euros but also meet the various commitments set by the authorities.

The remaining 110 MHz, in the band concerned, will be auctioned in blocks of 10 MHz. The starting price for the latter was set at €70 million. However, this should not be the business of operators. Indeed, they were campaigning for the authority not to set too high amounts in order to allow them to invest more heavily in the deployment of their future 5G networks.

The authorities should therefore obtain from this call for tenders, at least, a total sum of "2.17 billion euros for all the frequencies allocated". However, they have not been greedy in the light of the various 5G auctions organised by our neighbours, such as in Germany or Italy.

The specifications should be published in the coming days and will officially launch the award procedure conducted by Arcep. Candidate operators will then have eight weeks to prepare their application files.

Applicants will not be able to obtain less than 40 MHz of frequencies and will therefore not be able to obtain more than 100 MHz of frequencies in the 3.5 GHz band. The frequencies will be allocated for a period of 15 years and may be extended for a further 5 years if there is a subsequent agreement between the authorities and the operators concerned.

The examination of the applications submitted by the candidates should start in March. The Arcep will make its arbitrations and allocate the first fixed blocks of 5G frequencies at the end of March. The actual auctions will take place in May, while the procedure will be finalised in June.

However, the obligations on operators will not change. As initially planned by Arcep, the specifications provide for the opening of 5G in at least two cities per operator before the end of 2020. Subsequently, operators will be forced to deploy their services on 3,000 sites in 2022, 8,000 sites in 2024 and finally 10,500 sites in 2025.

But let's not forget the rural areas. Thus, 25% of the sites in the 3.5 GHz band "of the last two milestones will have to be deployed in an area bringing together municipalities in sparsely populated areas and those in industrial areas, outside the main urban areas", Arcep said.

The Authority also states that "from 2022 onwards, at least 75% of the sites must have a throughput of at least 240 Mbit/s at each site. This obligation will gradually be extended to all sites until 2030".

In addition, as provided for in European texts, roads are also a priority. Coverage of motorway-type roads will thus have to be ensured in 2025, before coverage of the main roads is planned for 2027.

Operators will also have to undertake to respond to "reasonable" requests from companies and public authorities, in order to provide them with "appropriate offers with coverage and performance, or, if the operator prefers, by entrusting them with its frequencies locally".

The authorities are demanding more cooperation between operators in order to ensure better indoor coverage of buildings and to ensure greater transparency on their deployment forecasts and breakdowns. Finally, operators will also have to undertake to welcome MVNOs to their respective networks "in order in particular to encourage innovation by all actors in the sector".

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Source : ZDNet

On 22th November last, the Arcep adopted the procedures for allocating frequencies in the 3.5 Ghz band. Two days later, the government announced the reserve price below which it did not intend to transfer the first portion of spectrum dedicated to the 5G mobile network. And the operators make a face: the floor price seems far too high to them.

4 sets of 50 MHz allocated to each of the four operators at a fixed price of 350 million euros. Then 11 blocks of 10 Mhz that they will then compete at auction, bidding 70 million euros. 2.17 billion, while Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free did not expect this reserve price to exceed The Arcep even campaigned for a prize of 1.5 billion "grand maximum".

In an interview at Les Echos, however, Agnès Pannier-Runacher presents this amount as "reasonable". In particular with regard to the sums paid by German or Italian operators. The representative of Bercy also argued that this figure corresponds to that determined by the Commission des Participations et Transferts, which "analyses the price below which the French people's assets do not seem to him to have to be sold".

A discourse that clashed with the operational and financial reality of 5G, reacted the operators. "This decision is not consistent with what has been put forward by the government in recent months," said Arthur Dreyfuss, President of the TFF. It constantly warns the State against a price boom that would deprive operators of the means to invest in deployment afterwards. Especially since the obligations assigned to them in return for the allocation of frequencies seem too ambitious.

5G frequencies too expensive: another dispute on the road to the future mobile network. Their disagreements relate not only to the reserve price, but also to the size of fixed-price blocks, the pace of deployment, 5G hedging obligations and the duration of licences. A non-exhaustive list of demands on which the regulator is far from having satisfied the Telecom Quartet.

Against the advice of Arcep, which favoured 60 MHz blocks, the state finally opted for 50 MHz. "With 50 MHz blocks, for a total of 310 MHz, the risk is that one operator will get twice as many frequencies as another," explained Sébastien Soriano, President of the Arcep, in Le Figaro. Bouygues Telecom and Free fear that they will lose out in the deal as they are less well equipped financially to bid higher.

Iliad also called for the removal of the third milestone in the deployment of 5G sites - 12,000 at the end of 2025 - for operators who would not obtain the famous 60 MHz. Arcep did not grant this right, but this obligation has been reduced to 10,500 sites. An adjustment reflecting the many criticisms encountered by the initial schedule. This assumed an acceleration of 1,000 sites per year from 2020 to 2022 and then to 2,500/year in 2023-2024 and 4,000/year in 2025 alone.

Bouygues Telecom, Orange and Free replied that they were unplayable, citing technical, financial and administrative constraints. Operators simply do not have the means to make the "leap" of 4,000 sites initially expected in 2025, argues Bouygues Telecom. For whom, moreover, "there is also no capacitive need of this magnitude on this horizon".

8,000 sites in 2024 and 10,500 in 2025 finally but not only in urban areas. The Arcep intends to ensure that the deployment of 5G will also benefit low-density areas, in line with government expectations. The regulator initially proposed to extend this obligation to the 22,000 municipalities of priority deployment areas (PDAs) as defined by the 2015 decision on the allocation of 700 MHz frequencies.

Again, there was no unanimity on this idea. Bouygues Telecom is not going about it in four ways: "Hedging obligations are very heavy and inconsistent with the object sold". For the operator, the 3.4-3.8 GHz band is intended for uses primarily for capacity, so that its use "is not relevant in sparsely populated areas".

Also mentioned by other actors, an approach consisting in prioritizing 5G deployments on "territories that we are sure will not benefit from FttH before a date to be determined". One of the approaches mentioned by Cerema or by the Assembly of French Departments is to use fixed 5G to compensate for future deficiencies in very high wireline broadband.

Finally, the opportunity to add the ZDP perimeter to the very recent list of "Industrial Territories" is suggested by several actors: Cerema again, but also Banque des Territoires or Orange. An addition finally retained by the Arcep in its specifications.

The last point of contention on the part of operators is the granting of 5G licences for an initial period of only fifteen years, which can be extended by five years after the Arcep's assessment. The Authority considers that this period is "appropriate to the level of investment required to fulfil the obligations under the procedure". Not Orange, Bouygues Telecom and SFR: the trio believes that this will not be enough to make their investments profitable.

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Source : DegroupNews

As part of the 5G frequency allocation, scheduled for autumn 2019, the Arcep is continuing its work to free the 3.5 GHz band. This band has been made available to digital development players to deploy Very High Speed Radio networks. In order to identify the departments in which THD radio networks are still being considered, the Arcep is launching a public consultation.

To meet the territories' HSBB connectivity needs in the context of the France Very High Speed Plan, Arcep opened a window in December 2017 for the deployment of HSBB radio networks in the 3.4 - 3.8 GHz band. In parallel, the government and the Arcep have established to allocate new 5G frequencies in order to be launched in 2020. The Regulatory Authority must therefore allocate the 3.4 - 3.8 GHz band for the commercial deployment of 5G mobile networks.

At the end of 2018, Arcep planned to submit the applications to the THD radio counter before the end of March 2019. However, in order to free as many frequencies as possible for 5G while maintaining frequencies for THD radio networks, Arcep plans to maintain the counter for departments in which advanced projects exist. The opening of the window for these projects could be extended beyond 31 December 2019.

It is now up to Arcep to determine the territories where THD radio networks should be deployed. The purpose of this public consultation is to enable the stakeholders concerned to inform the Regulatory Authority of their project before 30 June 2019.

At the end of this consultation and taking into account the responses, the Arcep will modify the frequency allocation modalities for radio HSBB in order to integrate these calendar changes.

 Read the press release

Source : Arcep