フランス携帯電話市場の最新動向 ～第4の携帯事業者Free Mobile参入のインパクト～

フランスでは、2012年1月10日、第4の携帯電話事業者Free Mobile（Iliad Group傘下）がサービスを開始した。フランスの携帯電話市場は、これまで既存事業者の市場シェアに大きな変化はなく、MVNOの普及もあまり進んでいなかった。また携帯電話料金についても低下傾向にあるものの、欧州平均より高いレベルにあった。そこに参入したFree Mobileの料金は既存事業者の半分以下という衝撃的なもので、市場に様々な変化を引き起こしている。

The Iliad Group launched their 'Free Mobile' service in France as a fourth mobile network operator (MNO) on 10th January 2012. With its aggressive low-cost service offerings, Free Mobile has instigated a number of changes in the French mobile market that had been rather static for many years. Free Mobile’s launch instigated a price war, as the existing three MNOs and many MVNOs reviewed their service plans. In January and February, the rapid rise of number porting requests by users wanting to churn resulted in the French MNP (Mobile Number Portability) system almost overflowing its capacity. In the first quarter of 2012, Free Mobile acquired 2.6 million subscribers while the three MNOs and the MVNOs all lost customers during this period. As a countermeasure, the existing MNOs are trying to speed up their 4G-rollout plan to compete with the new entrant.
This article outlines the French mobile market; explains the background of Free Mobile’s entry; covers noteworthy topics in France such as the 4G Auction held in 2011 and the emergence of “Full MVNOs”; introduces Free Mobile’s service and pricing; and finally presents recent trends and the future outlook for the market, as well as assessing the impact of Free Mobile’s entry.