ARCEP invites parties interested in being awarded the remaining 3G frequencies to submit their application by 11 May at 12 pm

Paris, 25 February 2010

Following the award of the fourth 3G licence to Free Mobile on 12 January of this year, there are still two remaining blocks of 3G spectrum, of roughly 5 MHz each, available in the 2.1 GHz frequency band.

The call for applications for the allocation of these remaining frequencies was launched today, following the Authority's adoption, on 11 February 2010, of Decision No. 2010-0199 about the conditions for allocating this spectrum.

All the texts allowing the launch of this call for applications, including the decree setting the financial terms of the procedure, were published in today's Journal officiel.

The deadline set for submissions in the call for applications is 11 May at 12 pm.

Applications will then be examined based on two criteria: the level of commitments that applicants make to improving the hosting conditions offered to MVNOs and their financial bid.

On the matter of hosting MVNOs, ARCEP invites applicants to make commitments that will help improve wholesale market competition and increase virtual network operators' commercial independence in the retail market. The Authority also asks that they offer MVNOs greater technical autonomy and better economic terms.

As to the financial commitment, applicants must submit a bid of at least 120 million euros for each block of spectrum.

The allocation of these frequencies before the summer will allow ARCEP to move forward with the procedure for assigning digital dividend (800 MHz band) and 2.6 GHz band spectrum, to help pave the way for ultra high-speed mobile network rollouts over the next decade