Comments on: How Free Mobile is already driving data prices down in France

By: Awax

Awax — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 07:24:51 +0000

@JMDesperrier (is it a French forum now ? :)) : indeed EAP-SIM is a very convenient way to use WiFi when available but WiFi handshake is very slow and it kills the phone connection to constantly switch from cellular to WiFi connection (for example, on the iPhone, many apps have a different behavior). Simply walk down a street and you’ll barely have more than a few seconds of continuous connection. Every time, connections are reseted and you have to restart your download from scratch.

However, the point here is to understand : is WiFi a convenient ADDITIONAL service (which it is) ? or is WiFi key to Free pricing structure, allowing it to undercut its competitor ?
My opinion is that WiFi is the former: the icing on the cake. Free is a disruptor in the markets it enters and it won’t enter a market it cannot turn on it head (see DSL where they entered and then exited until conditions allowed it to propose a truly innovative approach).

IMHO, Free disruptive approach is to abandon the subsidy and offer a plan linked to its actual cost (voice and SMS are dirt chip and data is the actual source of cost). Simple and efficient.

By: Jean-Marc Desperrier

Jean-Marc Desperrier — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 09:19:00 +0000

@Awax : But still, this makes me think of the discussion with one of my colleague about how if he found that option *very* convenient, he just put the Free SIM inside his iPhone, and voilà, the offloading to Wi-Fi (using EAP-SIM protocol) just worked. And he now frequently uses WiFi instead of data, maybe because the network has some growing pains currently, and UMTS is extremely very far from it’s theoretical max .
Also when walking, the phone easily reconnects to another network, and it’s quite transparent. Commuting yes that doesn’t work so well.

By: Awax

Awax — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 15:59:57 +0000

“it can radically reduce mobile costs by offloading traffic over Wi-Fi where possible.”

Your analysis is wrong.

1st, data offloaded over WiFi on the ISP set-top-boxes is unlimited and not taken from the 3GB allowance.
2nd, while Free the 2nd French ISP and you can find a client with an accessible WiFi network at almost every corner, WiFi can not be used when you are moving (walking or commuting).
3rd, WiFi offloaded to the ISP DSL network is capped at 1Mbps while you can reach 6Mbps or more on the UMTS network.

By: Oz Har Adir

Oz Har Adir — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 08:13:41 +0000

Xavier Niel is also a partner at Golan Telecom which launched in Israel on May with a similar pricing plan, forcing the like of Orange to half prices. The main difference is that the Israeli play does not involve traffic overloading over Wi-Fi. See: http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000748566&fid=1725

By: olivierb

olivierb — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 14:11:08 +0000

Free.fr has been disrupting the industry for some years now. Everybody is trying to align on their tripple play (now quad play) offering.
This also shows how companies such as the one in the US have the monopoly and in consequence have really high priced offering.
Regarding free.fr, you get 28Mpbs, Fixed phone and Internet TV for 30euros / month. Most phones calls toward the US are also free. Just alone, in the US, on AT&T for instance, I pay $50 for 6Mbps, $20 for basic phone….
On their mobile offering, you get unlimited calls, unlimited SMS, up to 3Gb data for only 20euros / month ($15 if already a free.fr subscriber on their internet offering). This includes free calls toward lots of countries such as US, Camada…