?500 Million Fine For French Networks

[andy]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/12/01/french_fines/

France's competition commission (the Conseil de la Concurrence) ruled that the three had acted against the best interests of consumers and the economy by sharing confidential information and divvying up the market for themselves.

The Conseil said this collusion had been going on between 1997 and 2003.

Orange has been fined ?256m (?174m), SFR ?220m (?150m) and Bouygues Telecom ?58m (?40m).

Orange are sulking
http://www.orange.fr/content/ge/high/rubri...2B%26type%3D40#

http://www.orange.fr/content/ge/high/rubri...nge_repond.html


Prix : le niveau de prix pour des consommations moyennes en t?l?phonie mobile est plus faible en France que dans les principaux pays europ?ens, y compris au Royaume-Uni ;
Prices are lower in France than in principal European countries, including UK ...

... umm, not for prepaid I think - France is more than double

Orange payg tariff Mobicarte -
Classique ?0.55 per min all calls
Soir et weekend ?0.35 off-peak, ?0.65 peak

Orange payg in UK 15p per minute


This is the bit that interests me -

Il devrait y avoir 13 marques de t?l?phonie mobile ? No?l !
There should be 13 brands by Christmas

... well there should be more competition then - they could take a look at Germany