Some licensees are already providing national coverage. It is also the case for Siris and Esprit Telecom on the business market, and Omnicom, a fledgling French company which offers services to the general public. This situation appears to be a specifically French situation. And this will undoubtedly increase as the market grows and competition intensifies. But establishing effective competition on the fixed telephone market takes time.
Liberalisation is a gradual process.
It would be premature to think that we have already accomplished this first phase. Especially as it is barely a year since the market opened up to competition. Newcomers are just starting to enter the market, and the first entrants are just completing rolling out their networks. Nevertheless, competition is progressing gradually, at a speed imposed by the market, not the regulator. The regulators decisions aim to ensure fair and durable competition, considering the existing technical and economic constraints.