All posts in Free Mobile
Free Mobile’s €19/month 4G Mobile plan sounds too good to be true. So, is it?
In his typical fashion, Free Mobile’s passionate CEO Xavier Niel announced the mobile provider’s 4G offer via Twitter this week. Less than two years after Niel announced that his company Iliad would offer unlimited calls, text, and 3G data for just 19,99€ with an equally astonishing 2,99€ plan without data, Niel has announced that he […]
Virgin Mobile’s new 4G plan may just be Bouygues Telecom’s comeback
Update: this post originally announced that Virgin Mobile would be offering a 4G plan for 19,99€/month. In fact, Virgin Mobile made two big announcements at once – a 4G Plan in partnership with Bouygues, and a new 19,99€/month 3G mobile plan – we inadvertently referred to them as the same announcement, and have subsequently updated […]
Doubling its market share in just one year, Free continues to shake up France’s telco market
Last week, Iliad, Free’s parent company, announced some very big results, proving that despite Orange’s, SFR’s and Bouygues‘ fairly effective response to Free’s entry into mobile, Free’s momentum isn’t slowing. If anything, it looks to be picking up steam. Some of the big highlights were – a doubling of its market share to 10% in […]
In 2012, Mobile service prices dropped 11% due to Free Mobile (of course)
Free’s entry into the mobile space continues to profoundly transform the French mobile space. According to 2012 figures from ARCEP, mobile contract prices in France dropped 11,4% in 2012 pretty much entirely due to the Free effect. This drop was consistent when looking at mobile contract pricing (with engagement), which declined 12%. For mobile services […]
Not content with abusing users, now Free is holding its employees hostage as well
After Bouygues made a formal request to convert its 1800MHz 2G network into 4G in order to have a iPhone 5 compatible 4G network (the only one), a relatively quick and inexpensive process, Bouygues has been patiently awaiting the TelCo regulatory committee (ARCEP)’s response, which was expected to come in the beginning of 2013. In […]
Orange to earn €1 Billion in 2 years from Free Mobile contract
When Free Mobile launched just one year ago, it didn’t quite have its mobile network up & running, and so it signed a deal with Orange whereby it would use some of Orange’s network. In an interview with Les Echos this week, Pierre Louette, #2 at Orange’s parent company France Telecom shared a bit of info on […]
The Mobile Operator Cluster Fuck – The Saga Continues
It seems like the four major Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) can’t stay out of the news these days, as Challenges reported yesterday that Bouygues Telecom (3rd largest operator in France) is suing Iliad ( parent company of Free Mobile, the 4th largest mobile operator in France, launched earlier this year) for €100 Million for an […]
Despite Delays, SFR launches 3G in RATP
After an agreement signed between French telecom provider SFR and the Paris region transport authority (RATP), SFR brought up the 1st iteration of their 3G network in the RATP – specifically in two main stations, Chatelet & Gare De Lyon. SFR customers in these areas finally have access the 3G networks underground after 3 months […]
Orange bribes the Assembly with a Cheap Phone Plan
The Assembly announced this week that Orange has won the contract with the assembly, which will put all members of the Assembly (about 3,000 lines) on the same phone plan, which will be paid for by the Assembly. According to Le Figaro[FR], The Assembly had previously been subsidizing individual phone plans up to 6,150 euros […]
Did Free even pierce Orange's peel?
When Xavier Niel announced the launch of Free Mobile about six weeks ago, he invited not only comparisons to Steve Jobs but also the attention of the global tech world. Free’s approach to the French market — to build a mobile network on the back on its substantial consumer wifi network — is certainly unique, […]