Canal Plus and BeIN Sports lose appeal against French football league
FRANCE 07:37

Canal Plus and BeIN Sports lose appeal against French football league

France's football league governing body, the LFP, has welcomed a ruling by the Paris appeal court in the long‑running legal dispute with pay-TV operators Canal Plus and BeIN Sports over the fallout from the 2018 football rights auction. The court sided with the LFP in rejecting a compensation claim from the two operators, which amounts to around EUR 660 million according to L'Equipe. Reacting to the court decision, Canal Plus said that it would examine the available avenues to continue defending its claim.

Altitude completes debt refinancing for fibre venture in Haute-Garonne
FRANCE 15 JAN

Altitude completes debt refinancing for fibre venture in Haute-Garonne

French infrastructure operator Altitude has announced a refinancing operation for the Fibre 31 venture created in the Haute-Garonne department to roll out and manage a public initiative network covering 280,000 rural premises. After securing the deployment contract in 2018, Altitude is now responsible for operating the open-access infrastructure under a 25‑year concession. It holds a 75 percent stake in Fibre 31, with the remaining 25 percent owned by its financial partner Banque des Territoires. Under the

Amazon Prime Video adds M6+ to French content catalogue
FRANCE 15 JAN

Amazon Prime Video adds M6+ to French content catalogue

Amazon Prime Video has expanded its content library in France through a new distribution agreement with local broadcaster M6. Under this latest deal, Prime Video customers will gain direct access to more than 30,000 hours of content on M6+, the broadcaster's streaming platform, along with four linear channels (M6, W9, 6ter and Gulli). Through this partnership, M6 also aims to bolster the activities of its in-house advertising agency, M6 Unlimited.

Free fined EUR 42 mln for failure to protect customer data
FRANCE 14 JAN

Free fined EUR 42 mln for failure to protect customer data

Free and Free Mobile, part of the Iliad group, have been fined EUR 15 million and EUR 27 million respectively for security failings that led to their databases being hacked in October 2024. This follows an investigation into the incident by French data protection watchdog Cnil, which received more than 2,500 complaints from individuals impacted by the security breach. The investigation found that the cyber attack concerned 24 million subscriber contracts, and concluded that a number of basic security measur

Idemia's platform to support French communication system for first responders
FRANCE 14 JAN

Idemia's platform to support French communication system for first responders

Idemia has announced that its Secure Transactions arm (IST) has been selected to supply SIM connectivity services for RRF (Reseau Radio du Futur), a communication system for first responders commissioned by France's ministry of the interior. IST will contribute by deploying its eSIM mobile connectivity platform, compliant with eUICC (Embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card) specifications. The platform will deliver remote network management, enabling over‑the‑air (OTA) connectivity, and subscription mana

Free increases price of entry-level fibre package
FRANCE 14 JAN

Free increases price of entry-level fibre package

French operator Free has increased the price of its 'Pop S' dual‑play broadband package for new sign‑ups to EUR 24.99/month, up from EUR 23.99 previously. All the inclusive services within the package remain unchanged, except for the guarantee to keep the cost unchanged for five years, which has now been removed following its introduction in May 2025. As before, Free is marketing this broadband bundle with inclusive VoIP calls as a web-exclusive 'Serie Speciale' (Special Series) offer, which usually indicat

French competition authority starts review into AI chatbots
FRANCE 13 JAN

French competition authority starts review into AI chatbots

France's competition authority has begun an enquiry into specific issues arising from the adoption of AI‑powered conversational agents. As part of this initiative, a public consultation will start soon to gather input from stakeholders. This new enquiry will focus on the downstream segment of the value chain to evaluate the impact of these agents on competition in key sectors of the economy.

Bouygues leads French rivals in nPerf's mobile and fixed internet performance tests
FRANCE 13 JAN

Bouygues leads French rivals in nPerf's mobile and fixed internet performance tests

Bouygues Telecom secured the top position in the 2025 rankings for both mobile and fixed internet performance, according to the latest benchmarks compiled by internet speed test specialist nPerf. These two rankings are based on performance tests carried out by broadband users through nPerf's platform in the twelve months to December 2025. In the mobile benchmark, Bouygues came first in four out of the five indicators included in nPerf's scoring system, with SFR in runner‑up position ahead of Orange and Free

French data centres could see 3.7-fold increase in energy use by 2035 – study
FRANCE 9 JAN

French data centres could see 3.7-fold increase in energy use by 2035 – study

France's environment agency Ademe has published a study on electricity consumption by data centres, including forecasts on how this demand could evolve in the medium to long term under different scenarios. Among the key findings, the study shows that the electricity needs of French data centres amounted to 9.91 TWh in 2024. This could rise to 36.73 TWh by 2035 and 63.58 TWh by 2060 under the trend-based scenario.

French operators step up pace of 5G activations in December
FRANCE 9 JAN

French operators step up pace of 5G activations in December

The footprint of 5G cell sites emitting a signal across mainland France increased by 757 during December, reaching 45,955 as of 01 January, according to spectrum agency ANFR. This monthly increase was up from 445 in November and 701 in the year-earlier period. All four network operators accelerated the pace of 5G site activations, led by Orange with 521 additional sites across the 700 MHz, 2.1 GHz and 3.5 GHz bands.

Devoteam to acquire French process automation specialist Infinity
FRANCE 8 JAN

Devoteam to acquire French process automation specialist Infinity

IT services and tech consulting group Devoteam has agreed to acquire Infinity, a French consulting company specialising in RPA (Robotic Process Automation) transformation projects. Founded in 2020, Infinity helps clients boost operational performance by tailoring digital automation software to their needs. The acquisition of Infinity complements Devoteam's own hyperautomation and hyperbot offering, reinforcing the group's ambition to lead in automation platforms augmented by generative and agentic AI agents

Orange data analytics venture Hexadone acquires French start-up Hyvilo  
FRANCE 7 JAN

Orange data analytics venture Hexadone acquires French start-up Hyvilo  

Hexadone, a French venture backed by Orange and Banque des Territoires, has agreed to acquire Hyvilo, a French start-up founded at the end of 2020 in Besancon. Hyvilo's software development expertise helps clients extract value from their data and break down information silos to improve operational performance. Its data management platform addresses the specific needs of different organisations and sectors, such as local authorities and real estate asset specialists.

FRANCE 7 JAN

Orange delays plan to stop selling ADSL in France

Orange France has been forced to revise its plans to withdraw ADSL connectivity from its commercial offers, reports Le Monde. An analysis of an Excel document released in mid-December shows that the operator has postponed the deadline for this withdrawal for nearly 23 million premises, representing approximately half of the country's total. This decision leaves open the option for B2C and B2B customers across this footprint to subscribe to a new ADSL line until 31 January 2027. Under the previous deadline,

FRANCE 6 JAN

Arcep welcomes new powers to enforce data sharing regulation

French telecom regulator Arcep has expressed support for draft legislation that extends its remit and powers to new areas. As the competent authority for implementing the EU's Data Act, Arcep will be responsible for enforcing data sharing regulation, which will become part of the regulator's broader investigative activities, supported by dedicated sanctioning and dispute-settlement powers. These changes are included in draft legislation known as DDADUE (dispositions d'adaptation au droit de l'Union europeen

FRANCE 5 JAN

Bouygues Telecom increases price of fibre-only plan to EUR 25/month

French operator Bouygues Telecom has raised the price of its standalone fibre plan, B&You Pure Fibre, from EUR 23.99 to EUR 24.99 per month. This is the first price increase since the plan was introduced in early November 2024. Less than six months after its launch, the plan was upgraded to support Wi-Fi 7 connectivity.

FRANCE 2 JAN

French spectrum agency orders recall of several smartphones over regulation breaches

France's spectrum agency ANFR announced that it is monitoring the recall of six smartphone models that should not be marketed in Europe, as well as two other models found in breach of EU regulations on radio frequency (RF) exposure. These actions follow separate procedures implemented by the agency as part of its ongoing testing campaigns to ensure compliance with safety rules.

FRANCE 31 DEC 2025

Data4 enters exclusive negotiations for new data centre campus in Hauts-de-France

European data centre operator Data4 has been selected to build a new data centre campus in Escaudain (Hauts-de-France region). Following the selection process, the local authority responsible for the site will now enter a 60-day period of exclusive negotiations to finalise the agreement. The 38-hectare site, located within the 'La Porte du Hainau' area, previously hosted a factory and requires decontamination. Once this phase is completed, the partners plan to install AI-ready data centres with a strong foc

FRANCE 30 DEC 2025

Google updates Pixel 9 in France after breaching parental controls obligation

Google has taken remedial action in France after its Pixel 9 A smartphone was found in breach of local regulations mandating free parental controls on connected devices. The phone's Android 16 software was remotely updated to achieve compliance. This automatic update was issued following a formal request from French spectrum agency ANFR, which tested the Pixel 9 A model as part of its monitoring activity. In a statement, the agency explained that the smartphone had failed to prompt activation of a parental

FRANCE 29 DEC 2025

Free Mobile admits 3G switch-off technical snag blocking calls

French operator Free Mobile (Iliad group) has acknowledged a technical issue preventing certain customers from making calls, including to emergency numbers. A company spokesperson told Frandroid that the problem is caused by incompatible software on some older smartphone models, which prevents the devices from using the operator's VoLTE service. Some customers reported the issue on online forums after Free Mobile began refarming its 900 MHz spectrum from 3G to 4G. According to these customers' direct experi

FRANCE 24 DEC 2025

Phoenix Tower closes acquisition of Infracos from Bouygues and SFR

Phoenix Tower International said it has successfully closed the acquisition of Infracos, the joint venture owned by Bouygues Telecom and SFR that manages approximately 3,700 mobile sites in medium dense areas of France. The investment brings PTI's French portfolio to nearly 10,000 nationwide sites, including committed Build-to-Suit (BTS) deployments. Pro forma for this transaction and contracted deployments, PTI will own and operate over 33,000 telecom towers in Europe, the US, Latin America and the Caribbe

FRANCE 23 DEC 2025

Starlink France reaches nearly 160,000 residential customers

Starlink's residential offers have attracted nearly 160,000 subscribers in France since their launch in 2021, reports Le Figaro citing a company source. Commenting on its performance, the satellite operator noted that French terrestrial networks have achieved very good coverage, limiting the potential for customer acquisitions. While Brazil and some African countries currently show the best growth momentum, Starlink's French operations are also making gains, according to the source.

FRANCE 23 DEC 2025

Orange Concessions wins contract to modernise fibre network in Rennes metropolitan area

Rennes Metropole, the city council managing Brittany's Rennes metropolitan area, has selected FTTH venture Orange Concessions to modernise the local public-initiative fibre network built and managed by RMT (Rennes Metropole Telecom). This network, which the city council began building in 2007, is used by nearly 800 enterprises and several public sector entities, including local authorities. The Orange venture will replace RMT by taking over the operation of the open-access infrastructure under a seven-year

FRANCE 23 DEC 2025

French football league strengthens fight against piracy with new court win

LFP, France's football league governing body, has announced a new legal victory in its fight against piracy. This latest ruling from a Paris court complements previous injunctions against sites illegally streaming Ligue 1 games by targeting technical intermediaries such as VPN and DNS service providers. Among them, DNS4EU will be required to implement the blocking measures for the first time.

FRANCE 22 DEC 2025

Paramount shuts down several TV channels in France

Paramount's channel offering in France will change from 31 December, reports Universfreebox citing communication sent by Free to its IPTV customers. From this date, several Paramount channels will cease broadcasting in the country across all French distributors, including Free and Canal Plus. The channels affected by this decision from Paramount Global are Game One (video gaming), MTV Hits (music), J-One (animation), BET (entertainment), and Paramount Network (films/TV series).

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Commentary

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15 DEC 2025 13:56

Video market set for slower growth ahead

8 DEC 2025 11:38

Netflix buys Warner Bros to deepen content catalogue

31 OCT 2025 11:11

KPN's mixed performance in Q3 raises questions for strategy day

Background

15 JAN 08:55

Fairphone still a small player but market share growing in Netherlands

12 JAN 00:04

The week in telecoms: CES brings Wi-Fi 8 and more smart glasses, while Warner sticks with Netflix

5 JAN 00:52

The week in telecom: Finnish security check, M&A completions and telco job cuts

23 DEC 2025 10:32

Netherlands TV-video market grows 2.6% in Q3 to EUR 759 mln