October 2016

The Digital Republic Act at a glance The Digital Republic Act (loi pour une République Numérique), which was adopted a few days ago, seeks to stimulate digital growth but also to provide a framework to ensure it complies with fundamental principles, such as the right to privacy and copyright laws. It works to ensure that everybody in France has access to new technologies, with special measures for people with disabilities and those in a precarious situation. Several of its provisions strengthen the role played by supervisory bodies, such as CNIL and CADA. Arcep's own mandate has been reinforced and its powers strengthened by the Act. Deputy Luc Belot, Rapporteur for the Digital Republic Act - Deputy Luc Belot, Rapporteur for the Digital Republic Act

Regulation action

4G rollouts begin in France's overseas markets; Arcep opens the way for new operators

The mobile internet's development in France's overseas markets has taken a major step forward! Arcep has just selected the operators that will be allocated new frequencies, with a view to enabling the commercial rollout of 4G services starting on 1st December 2016 in Réunion, Mayotte, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana, Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin. The 25 applications received were evaluated with respect to their commitments to digital regional development, their commercial products, job creation and investment.

Two new operators are entering the overseas mobile market: Free Mobile in Antilles and in Guyana, and ZEOP Mobile in Réunion.

The minimum coverage obligations are as follows (for operators that have been allocated 800 MHz band spectrum, and except in Guyana): 30% of population must be covered within two years, 90% in six years and 99% in 10 years.

What next? Arcep will determine the location of each operator's frequencies, before then awarding their licences.

Find out more (in French)

Tomorrow by the numbers

€500 billion is the amount that the European Commission is expecting to see invested in telecoms in Europe over the next decade (Source)

On our radar

Isabelle de Silva, Chair of France's Competition Authority.
Ms de Silva takes over from Bruno Lasserre. Her appointment was approved by Parliament, after a series of hearings and a vote in the National Assembly Economic Affairs Committee and in the Senate.

News from around the world

The United States hands over control of ICANN
Created in California in 1998, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) has a symbolic role on the global internet, namely as supervisor of the IP addressing system and domain name registry. It is the body that manages the allocation of .com, .net and .org domain names. After having operated under a contract with the US government since its inception, after three years of debate, on 1 October it became a self-regulating, non-profit international entity, in a bid to guarantee a more transparent and more democratic operation.
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Arcep LIKES

The French Development Agency prepares its digital strategy

Aware of the opportunities being opened up by the digital transformation, and the role it can play in putting digital technologies to work, the French Development Agency (AFD) held a public consultation on its digital strategy during the month of September. A platform was created to gather votes on and reactions to the AFD proposals. 165 contributors, including Arcep, also posted their proposals online. The Agency's digital strategy is expected to be adopted this winter, after a period devoted to synthesis and internal discussions.

Understanding the nuts and bolts of fibre!

On 21 September, some 20 Arcep staff members travelled to Mortain in La Manche for optical fibre trial rollouts in the field. They were hosted by the Novea training centre. On the agenda: a tour of the Acome plant, the leading manufacturer of optical fibre in France, and an introduction to deployment techniques. Fibre optic cable blowing through underground civil engineering, overhead deployments, riser cabling, coiling in a cable tray and welding, right up to customer connection. The day wound up with a tour of a Manche Numérique public initiative network construction site. A fantastic opportunity for a close-up look at the professions making superfast broadband a reality in France.

In photos

Well said

"We are in the process of deploying 3G/4G on Line 1 and Lines A and B. The entire network will be covered in 2017."

Elisabeth Borne, CEO of Paris public transport company, RATP (source: Le Parisien 12/09/16)

In July, RATP and Arcep signed a Memorandum of Understanding to improve connectivity for commuters.

Meanwhile in Brussels

Users will soon be able to enjoy free roaming in the EU

On 21 September, the European Commission announced that European consumers and businesses will be able to enjoy international roaming services through mobile plan at no extra charge, when travelling in other European Union Member, starting on 15 June 2017.
Certain accompanying measures still need to be defined, and are currently being discussed by European bodies:

Arcep, telling it like it is

On 30 June, Arcep submitted its action plan to the government for accelerating the transition to IPv6 in France - the guarantor of an open and resilient internet, of which France has been a long-time leader. Already back in 2011, American equipment supplier Cisco said that France was famous for its fine wine and cheese and now... IPv6! Since then, other countries have risen through the ranks. So it is high time that France get back into gear, to guarantee a competitive and attractive digital ecosystem at home.

To create this report, along with Arcep Board members Jacques Stern and Philippe Distler, we met with more than 20 stakeholders. Others contacted us on their own initiative, to share their views on the subject. And in an unprecedented move, this report was produced with the support of France's domain name registry, the Association française pour le nommage internet en coopération (AFNIC), which provided us with its invaluable technical expertise.
In its roadmap Arcep recommends the State play two roles:

Hichem Miled
Policy officer for the "Open Internet" Unit

Mark your calendars

The Internet of Things: inventing pro-innovation regulation - 7 November 2016 - Paris

To coincide with the publication of its White Paper, "Preparing for the Internet of Things Revolution: challenges and recommendations," on 7 November, Arcep will be hosting a morning of debate and discussion on the Internet of Things: one of the 12 priorities identified for 2016/2017, as part of its strategic review.

With special guests from the European Commission, CNIL, ANSSI, GSMA, Sigfox, SNCF Digitale...

25 October 2016 in Paris
CES Unveiled Paris

A sneak peek at the innovations that will be unveiled at CES, taking place in Las Vegas from 5 to 8 January 2017.
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8 November in Paris
Agrifutur

Renaissance numérique (Digital renaissance) and the GoodPlanet Foundation are hosting a one-day event devoted to responsible innovation in agriculture, distribution and nutrition. Arcep Chair, Sébastien Soriano, will deliver a talk on "Agricultural production and regional development: network coverage and the farming economy," with Laure de la Raudière, Deputy for the Eure-et-Loir.
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9 and 10 November in Brussels
ECTA Regulatory Conference 2016

Arcep will be speaking at the conference hosted by ECTA (European Competitive Telecommunications Association).
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15, 16 and 17 November in Montpellier, France
Digiworld Summit

Arcep Board member, Françoise Benhamou, will deliver a keynote at the 2016 Digiworld Summit on the topic, "Should platforms be regulated?"
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17 November in Paris
Local authorities' digital forum

Arcep Board member, Martine Lombard, will speak at the Local authorities' digital forum (Forum numérique des collectivités locales) hosted by Gazette des communes.
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