Numericable seeks €3b damages from FT

French cable operator Numericable is demanding France Telecom pay it €3.1 billion in damages for failing to share underground fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) ducts.
 
The cable firm is claiming the damages in two filings with the Commercial Court of Paris and the International Chamber of Commerce, after alleging that France Telecom reneged on the terms of infrastructure sharing agreements signed in 1999 and 2001.
 
While the complaints were made in October, Numericable only revealed the level of injunctive relief being sought over the weekend.
 
France Telecom rejects the claims and told French daily La Tribune it would countersue for what it regards as an abuse of process by its former partner. The telco noted that some terms were changed, but that those were approved by regulator Arcep at the time the charges were laid.