PARIS-Bouygues Telecom Chairman Martin Bouygues has asked the European Union commission to intervene and delay the award of French Universal Mobile Telecommunications System licenses. Bouygues wants to ensure France’s UMTS award process meets European guidelines and is in line with other member states, according to international press reports.
Bouygues Telecom is the third-largest mobile operator in France. This is the second complaint Bouygues has made to the EU on the issue of France’s UMTS award process.
France is awarding three UMTS licenses through a beauty contest. Winners will be announced later this year. Four groups-incumbents France Telecom, Cegetel, and Bouygues Telecom, along with a consortium including Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux, Groupe Arnault and Telef
