France Telecom to Begin UMTS Web Trials in September
--From AOL. -- Cooters
Paris, June 27 (Bloomberg) -- France Telecom SA, the state- controlled telephone company, said it will begin testing new wireless Internet technology in September to gauge consumer demand for services such as downloading videos on mobile devices.
The trials, to include 100 people, will use UMTS, or Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service technology, France Telecom said. So-called third-generation mobile service is scheduled to start in France in 2002.
France Telecom is among a number of phone companies expected to spend billions of dollars to win new permits to offer UMTS services. In Europe, 14 countries plan to sell a combined 62 UMTS licenses. The French government this month said it will charge a total of $19 billion for four of them.
Other services being tested include weather reports, regional news, games, consumer promotions and plotting travel routes, France Telecom said.
France's three existing cellular companies -- France Telecom, Cegetel SA's SFR and Bouygues Telecom SA -- have said they will bid for the new licenses. Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux SA, which has linked with Spain's largest phone company, Telefonica SA, and Deutsche Telekom AG have also said they will bid.
Shares in France Telecom closed down 5.6 euros, or 3.4 percent, at 157.9 euros ($149.11) in Paris.
Jun/27/2000 12:20 ET |
