Free’s 3G Network In France About To Launch

ARCEP, the French regulator has reportedly given the go ahead to Iliad, also known as "Free" to officially launch their 3G network as they have fulfilled the initial minimum coverage condition as they now cover 27% of the French population with their own network. A national roaming agreement with France Telecom / Orange will do the rest for now. The Free network launch is the first in many years in Europe and it's actually the exception from the current norm of networks being combined in other countries to reduce competition. It's going to be interesting to see how well Free will be doing and what kind of effect it will have on competition and pricing in France. I wish them all the best, perhaps I can become a customer soon if they offer interesting prepaid packages!