Bouygues Telecom and SFR telephone operators claim 336 million euros from Orange in the context of a dispute around the fiber optic connection among customers, AFP learned from concordant sources on Wednesday, confirming information from the informed media.
Bouygues Telecom wishes to recover 152 million euros, while SFR, owned by Altice France, claims 184 million euros, according to several sources close to the litigation.
The two operators are considered injured in terms of launch costs incurred during the final connection of a fiber line, the portion between landing and plug in the subscriber, in the very dense areas where Orange is responsible for the infrastructure.
“Unfounded” requests according to Orange
Conturbed by Bouygues Telecom, the Telecommunications Regulator (ARCEP) judged in 2022 that the contribution paid to Orange by the telephone operator during the connection of a new client had to recover when the latter was resolved, and not when the line was carried by a new operator, since July 2021.
These requests are based on this decision issued by ARCEP, disputed by Orange before the Paris Court of Appeals. The latter rejected the operator call in March.
“Orange disputes the requests of Bouygues Telecom and SFR, which he considers unfounded,” the group reacted on Wednesday to the AFP, believing that Arcep’s decision “has not established the percentage of restitutions.”
“Bouygues Telecom and SFR demand 100% of the sums corresponding to the finished lines, which is clearly incompatible with the decision of the ARCEP” and “the need to share the financial load among the operators,” Orange insists.
Contacted by AFP, Bouygues Telecom and SFR did not want to react.
Operators must now find common land on the amount of these restitutions.
Source: BFM TV
