France Telecom cleared for quadruple-play

French competition authorities have paved the way for France Telecom to offer quadruple-play services, by lifting restrictions that stopped the telco cross-selling fixed and mobile services.
 
The Autorite de la concurrence has ruled that in principle, the offering of combined mobile and fixed-line services should not unfairly distort competition in the market, WSJ.com said
 
But, because France Telecom would be in the position to offer convergent services which could threaten competition, the authority said it reserves the right to clear all bundles on a case by case basis.
 
The ruling ends over a decade of restrictions on the offering of bundled services, first imposed after the privatization of the company in 1998, Interactive Investor said
 
France Telecom plans to launch its first five quadruple-play offers in France in mid-August.
 
Rival Bouygues Telecom already offers its own quadruple-play bundle.