Orange, SFR, Bouygues: Free Mobile will cost them dear

Time of Auditors arrived to three operators who had reason to fear the arrival of Free Mobile on the market.

Following the publication of the latest financial results, France Telecom and the point made by the operator for the modification to the portfolio of clients of Orange our colleagues in les Echos attach to a point on the changes in the sector of mobile telephony trained to this day by the arrival of Free Mobile on the market. Five months after the launch of the new highly competitive commercial offers incoming, "is starting to get an idea of the invoice paid by its competitors" indicate.

France Telecom has thus announced lost a total of mobile client 615.000 on the first quarter of the year, 2.3 million of termination and 1.7 million of recruitment. This represents a decrease of 0.7% over one year customer base. Remains that the operator does not it more recruits with its low-cost Sosh subsidiary and, if this is the case, how it affect its profitability. However, from an economic point of view, France Telecom is reassuring, recalling an asset have to resist Free Mobile: the roaming agreement signed with the néo-opérateur.

An agreement on the 2 G and 3 G very criticized (from a commercial point of view as from a technical point of view), but that, according to Orange, "compensates partially the decline in turnover" in the first quarter. 6 Years, this contract be earned 1 billion euros France Telecom, but as Free Mobile traffic is higher than that forecast does had anticipated it, revenues should ultimately exceed $ 1 billion in just three years. France Telecom has therefore not lost with the arrival of Free Mobile on the market, far from it.

In Bouygues Telecom, it will take on 15 May and the release of the sales in the first quarter to learn more, but the operator already said that its revenues would decrease by about 10% this year. And on 15 February, Free Mobile had apparently already recovered client 134.000 of Bouygues Telecom, which recruits many through its low-cost B & You offer. Bouygues Telecom has recently launched a EUR 300 million per year savings plan, and announced that he would renegotiate some partnerships, including those with the Phone House distribution system. Today, Bouygues Telecom announced the purchase of Darty Telecom, as explained here.

Finally in SFR, resigned as the CEO Frank Esser who refused to lower its prices, and after the acting by Jean-Bernard Lévy, is Michel Combes who becomes CEO. Frank Esser has paid its inability to anticipate the difficulties caused by the arrival of Free Mobile, with the loss estimated at client 208.000 in only 50 days between January and February (all operators combined). The savings plan that provides to SFR is estimated at EUR 500 million, passing by the dismissal of numerous employees and pressure on suppliers to lower prices. SFR already announced sales fell by 12 to 15% this year. The pressure on prices caused by the arrival of Free Mobile that feel .