French regulator Arcep has embarked on a strategic review, as it looks to stay up-to-date with the Internet of Things era.
It said it wants to ensure digital networks remain competitive in France, with investment from both public and private organisations. It also wants to put in place regulation “that rises to the challenges of the digital era and prepares France for the future”.
Arcep said it expects to publish a strategic roadmap by the end of this year, with plans to adopt it in 2016, following a consultation.
The regulator has also launched a series of discussions about the smart cities landscape. It will hold hearings during the second half of this year to explore regulatory issues and identify what could hold the sector back. It will publish a report next year.
Network sharing is also under scrutiny, with agreements in place between Bouygues and SFR, and Free and Orange. Arcep said it would look at current contracts and potential future terms and conditions to ensure they meet competition obligations.
The regulator said it will also look into fibre network access prices, as well as legacy copper network access prices from this autumn.
Earlier this month, the regulator laid out proposals for its forthcoming 700MHz spectrum auction. It said it wanted the bandwidth to be used to bolster coverage across France’s railway network.
Six 2x5MHz blocks of spectrum are up for grabs, with the auction set to take place during the fourth quarter of 2015.