SFR to appeal against latest competition watchdog fine

Altice-owned French service provider SFR has said it will appeal against a fine levied by the country’s competition watchdog relating to its failure to meet commitments to build out fibre to the country’s main population centres.

The Autorité de la Concurrence fined SFR €40 million over its alleged failure to meet commitments to build fibre in a co-investment project with Bouygues Telecom.

The operator has said it contests the decision in its totality, the arguments underpinning it and the amount of the fine levied.

SFR’s supervisory council will meantime examine the impact of the decision on its consolidated results.

The fine is the third to be levied against SFR by the competition watchdog. The authority has already fined it and Altice €80 million because Altice allegedly took effective control of SFR and Virgin Mobile before securing a green light from the regulatory. The operator has also been fined €15 million for abusing its position in Réunion and Mayotte.