By Ruth Bender
PARIS--A French consumer group Tuesday said it filed a complaint
against Orange SA (ORA.FR) and Vivendi SA's (VIV.FR) biggest
telecom unit, SFR, saying the telecom operators made deceptive
commercial claims about their fourth-generation network
coverage.
UFC-Que Choisir, a French group representing consumers' rights,
said a study analyzing the 4G network services across Paris found
there was an "abnormal gap" between the 4G coverage that the two
groups claim to provide in the capital and the actual access that
consumers get to their 4G networks.
The complaint comes as European telecommunications companies
start to close the spending gap on so-called fourth-generation
telecom networks, which help speed up such data-heavy tasks as web
browsing and video streaming on smartphones and tablets, after
years of lagging behind the U.S. and Asia. Many operators have
pinned their hopes on new, faster data service using 4G to help
them boost revenue.
UFC-Que Choisir said its study found that Orange's 4G network
was available in only 79.3% of the capital while SFR was only in
75% of the city, leaving many holes in its coverage while claiming
to cover the city almost entirely. Only rival Bouygues Telecom,
owned by group Bouygues SA, met its promises, covering 99.4% of the
city, UFC Que Choisir said.
"Considering the results of the study, l'UFC-Choisir is filing a
complaint against Orange France and SFR," the consumer group said
in a statement.
Orange said it was "astonished" by the legal action. "Orange
reaffirms it is meeting its promises regarding its coverage and has
always been transparent, regularly updating its coverage maps," the
company said in a statement.
SFR said in an emailed statement that it announced at the end of
August that it aimed to cover 100% of Paris by the end of the
year.
Write to Ruth Bender at ruth.bender@wsj.com
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