French Mobile Telephone Penetration Up To 75.2% End-June

PARIS -(Dow Jones)- The number of mobile telephone users in France rose to 45.4 million at the end of June from 44.5 million at the end of 2004, telecommunications watchdog ARCEP said in its latest review of sector data Monday.

ARCEP said some 75.2% of the French population owned a mobile telephone at the end of June compared with 73.9% six months earlier.

The watchdog said that France Telecom's (FTE) Orange had 47.3% of the market at the end of June, down from 47.7% six months previously.

Meanwhile SFR, the mobile telecoms arm of Vivendi Universal's (V) telephone business Cegetel, had a market share of 35.8% at the end of June, up from 35.5% six months earlier.

Construction group Bouygues SA's (12050.FR) Bouygues Telecom saw its market share edge up to 16.9% at the end of June from 16.8% six months previously.

Regulator's Web site: http://www.arcep.fr

-By Kenneth Maxwell, Dow Jones Newswires; 33-1-4017 1740; kenneth.maxwell@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires"

Posted to the site on 25th July 2005