The decision means that France Télécom has to give rival operators access to its internet backbone network. The transitional measure applies for a one-year period, which is meant to give the operator's competitors time to build up sufficient backbone networks, as well as regional customer bases, to invest into more internet infrastructure of their own. At the end of the one-year period, ARCEP, the French regulatory authority for electronic communications, will re-assess the situation and decide whether to call for still more regulation.
France has grown to be the biggest broadband market in Europe by consumer numbers, even beating Germany, which has 20 million more inhabitants. The decision aims at further accelerating broadband take-up and availability in remote areas, which are seen as crucial for boosting Europe's sluggish economic growth.
France Télécom's stock share reacted positively to the Commission decision. This is mainly due to the acquisition of Spain's Amena - which makes the partly state-owned France Télécom's the EU's second mobile operator - and to a 3.4 billion euro profit over the first half year of 2005.
