Arcep, the French regulator, has given the go-ahead for local operators to begin testing “ultra high-speed mobile” networks using 800MHz and 2.6GHz spectrum ahead of auctions next year. “To help stakeholders lay the groundwork for these new networks, Arcep is issuing temporary authorisations for specific locations to allow the players who so desire to conduct technical trials,” said the regulator in a statement. Although Arcep did not specify the technology to be used, referring only to it as ‘4G’, LTE is likely to be the main focus. “Several dozen” trials in the 2.6GHz band have already been authorised, while the first “temporary authorisation” for an 800MHz trial was announced last month (with more on the way). Arcep promised that “complete details” of the authorised trials will be submitted to candidates interested in acquiring the long-term 800MHz and 2.6GHz licences, prior to the deadline for submitting their applications. “The spectrum is expected to be awarded to the winning candidates in the first half of 2011, and so paving the way for the introduction of ultra high-speed mobile services in the coming years,” said Arcep. The initial allocation of 2.6GHz licenses are focused on the more common FDD variant of LTE; Arcep said that the deadline for requests to perform trials using the ‘unpaired’ TDD variant of LTE “has been extended by several months.”

The regulator did not state which firms were in the frame to start testing the new networks, but the country’s three main operators – Orange, SFR and Bouygues – are likely to be among the candidates. Operators in neighbouring Germany have already started rolling out LTE networks using 800MHz spectrum, concentrating mainly in rural areas underserved by fixed-line broadband. By contrast, the pioneering LTE networks in Nordic countries such as Sweden are using 2.6GHz spectrum and are focused on urban centres.