Iliad CEO: 4th French Mobile License Remains an Ambition

PARIS -(Dow Jones)- Broadband provider Iliad remains interested in France's fourth third-generation mobile phone license, Chief Executive Maxime Lombardini said Wednesday.

The fourth license is "our ambition" and could be coveted by other companies, Lombardini said in a debate on BFM Radio. The right "legal path" still has to be found for awarding the license, he added.

The French government has asked telecommunications regulator Arcep to weigh the relative benefits of granting all the frequencies earmarked for the license to one company or splitting them up between more than one operator.

In October, Iliad's initial application for the fourth license was rejected by Arcep for failing to meet the necessary financial criteria.

-By Jethro Mullen, Dow Jones Newswires; 33 1 4017 1738; jethro.mullen@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

Posted to the site on 4th June 2008