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French Tests Find 3G Coverage at 900Mhz Less Reliable Than 3G Coverage at 2.1GHz
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The French telecoms regulator says that it has been carrying out coverage tests on the country's 3G networks following a warning last December that the license holders could be in breach of their license conditions.
Under the terms of their license, Orange France must have covered 91% of the population with 3G access by the end of 2010, and 98% of the population by the end of 2011. SFR, meanwhile, was to be providing 3G coverage to 84% of the population by 30 June 2010, 88% of the population by the end of 2010, 98% by the end of 2011 and 99.3% by the end of 2013.
Over the past few months, the regulator, Arcep, has been comparing the coverage map supplied by SFR with its own test results. The conclusion was that the map provided by SFR had a degree of accuracy that complied, on the whole, with the level stipulated in its licence. The calculations led to a finding of a rate of 3G coverage for SFR of 84% of the population as of 30 June 2010.
It nevertheless emerged that 3G coverage in the 900 MHz band was less reliable than 3G coverage supplied in the 2.1 GHz band.
The regulator added though that the rate of 3G coverage is below the 87% announced by SFR in a press release dated 8th July 2010, and well below the rate of 99.3% of the population of mainland France that the company originally committed to achieving by 21 August 2009.
Bouygues Telecom is to be providing 75% of the population with 3G coverage by 12 December 2010, in accordance with the terms of the licence it was awarded in 2002, while Orange France and SFR are to be providing 3G coverage to 91% and 88% of the population, respectively, by 31 December 2010, under the terms of the notices to comply issued on 30 November 2009.
Tags: [sfr] [orange] [arcep] [3g license] [coverage] [telecom] [3g coverage] [France]
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