eMarketer released a new report analyzing results of France opening its formerly monopolistic telecommunications market to competitors.

France is leading the way in so-called "triple play" adoption. Already, thanks to its competitive market, three of the ten largest broadband providers in Western Europe now are based in France. Up to 40% of all French consumers will soon be using VoIP, and IPTV use is also on the rise.

"Like the UK and Germany, France has opened its formerly monopolistic telecommunications market to competitors, and the results have been spectacular," says James Belcher, Senior Analyst and author of the new report, French Connections: The Triple Play Triumphs. "France Telecom now shares the market with nimbler DSL providers who also offer broadband-based phone (VoIP) and television (IPTV) services for less money."



Some of the key data points in the report include:

• 40% of phone calls in France will be over VoIP by the end of 2006.
• By 2015, 75 million people worldwide will get their TV from an ISP, rather than a cable or satellite provider.
• A third of US cable subscribers have said they'd jump ship for less than $5 difference in their monthly cable bill; French ISP Free currently offers 20Mb/s DSL, unlimited in-country VoIP, and 70 channels of digital TV for Eur30, which points up the competitive potential in this bundled service.
• Worldwide VoIP revenue will hit $96 billion by 2011.

France's broadband penetration has been booming since liberalization of the telecommunications market took off in 2004, and over 75% of all Internet users in France now have broadband access.

In addition to the country's high and growing broadband use, IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) is seeing high adoption growth, a trend reflected in the rest of Western Europe. Incumbent telecommunications service providers in Italy, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland and the UK have already launched or plan to launch IPTV services in 2006, most in response to competitive threats similar to those faced by France Telecom.

"The overall shift to IP-based services holds many technological and competitive challenges, but brings with it opportunities to sell more than just TV and phone packages," says Mr. Belcher.

Other countries are watching France closely to see what price/feature combinations make the difference in this competitive and rapidly changing environment.

"The next several years will see a market-share race to see who can provide triple-play services to the most customers," says Mr. Belcher. "France is expected to lead the way in adoption, although other countries such as China will eventually overtake them in terms of sheer numbers."

eMarketer's French Connections: The Triple Play Triumphs answers these key questions:

• How many French consumers will get their phone and television service from an ISP?
• How can established players avoid disintermediation in this environment?
• To what extent will other markets follow the French pattern of triple play proliferation?
• How will ISPs market services effectively when those services are commodities?
• And many more...

Click for more information on eMarketer's new report French Connections: The Triple Play Triumphs.