French council gets sick of waiting for MNOs so goes it alone

The local government in Eure-et-Loir has seemingly got tired of waiting for the MNOs to end not-spots in the countryside, deciding to construct its own masts in the region.

Announced via Twitter, the local authority approved funding for the ‘Eure-et-Loir Mobile Networks’ project in an effort to bridge the digital divide. The scheme will create a new company, which will have a budget of €10 million and aim for 100% geographical 4G coverage, through building its own mobile infrastructure.

“The @eurelien department is the first in France to create a project company to accelerate the deployment of the #4G throughout its territory, for 2021,” Eure-et-Loir Department Advisor Remi Martial said on Twitter.

In claiming to be the first Department in France to take such action, with the move somewhat undermining government plans to tackle the rural connectivity problem. Announced back in January 2018, the ‘New Deal Programme’ was designed to tackle not-spots across the country, though it appears the Eure-et-Loir local authority has little confidence in the scheme.

Two firms bid to be part of the project, with ATC winning. ATC will now enter into a public-private-investment scheme with the Eure-et-Loir authority to improve mobile coverage. Reports have previously suggested the region is short of 100 mobile masts to provide adequate 4G coverage.

When you consider the environment, it starts to make sense why the Eure-et-Loir region is not necessarily a priority for the MNOs. With a population of 432,967 (2013) it is the 55th largest region across France, with a population density of 74 citizens per km². Compared to Paris, 21,234 per km² or Hauts-de-Seine, 9,042 per km² the business case is less convincing.

That said, should the hard work be done for the MNOs, renting space to place mobile equipment is a small price to pay for meeting government demands and improving coverage. With the vast majority of capital being allocated into civil engineering aspects of the project, few will complain, even if it does give the impression of mediocrity.