Jan
13
French ISP Free Turns Heads With New Wireless Service – New Fourth French Wireless Carrier Shakes Things Up
France took our discarded concept of local-loop-unbundling and implemented it successfully, with users in Paris now being able to get 100 Mbps fiber, VoIP service and a full television lineup for around $40. French ISP Iliad is also prepared to shake up the wireless space with a new service launch that is turning heads here in the States. Dubbed Free Wireless, the service operates on a new network built by Iliad and is severely shaking up a French wireless industry traditionally dominated by just three players.
Free is offering users a free wireless plan that includes 60 voice minutes and 60 SMS's. Should users want a little more, the next package up offers unlimited calls and texts, access to the ISP's public Wi-Fi hotspots, and 3GB of data for 19.99 (roughly $25). That 3GB data cap involves throttling after you've crossed the 3 GB mark, but it's still a good deal however you'd like to slice it.
If you're a subscriber to Iliad's landline-based services you can get the same package for 14.99 ($19). Following the traditional European approach there is no subsidized handset and you have to buy the phone at cost. However, Free will let you spread the cost of the device out over three years. For example, Free has announced (pdf) that they're offering the iPhone 4S starting at 1, allowing users to pay 19,99 per month over 36 months.
Users who stick on the free plan but don't want to upgrade to the more costly option pay one cent for each additional SMS they send -- compared to around twenty cents both directions here in the States if you don't get an SMS bundle plan. Additional phone minutes on the free plan cost just five cents. French users state that even at that low price point, tethering, VoIP, and P2P are allowed. Users suggest Free is also coming out with an unlimited data plan that should be priced between 10 and 15.
"Up until now you have been cash cows," said Iliad founder Xavier Niel during a press conference introducing France's fourth wireless carrier. "Now you can either call your current operator and ask for the same price or join us."
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Original story here.