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Virgin Mobile is in the midst of talks with various potential partners such as cable operator Numericable, and has yet to decide whether it will bid for the French 3G mobile phone license.
Last month, the head of French telecoms regulator ARCEP said he expected the fourth 3G mobile phone license to be awarded in January of next year and at least two candidates would probably be in the running. The suggested price tag is set at 240 million euros, up from the 206 million announced by the government in February.
Virgin Mobile’s Philippe Maugest thinks the price is “relevant and fair,” and said they [Virgin Mobile] will take a decision on whether to bid for the license “once the tender is launched.”
Aside from Virgin Mobile, France’s number 2 broadband operator, Iliad, is also expected to compete for the license.
France’s current trio of operators include Orange, SFR and Bouygues Telecom, all which paid 619 million euros in 2001 and 2002 for their 3G frequencies.
[Via: Reuters]
About The Author
Dusan Belic
Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis.
