France Telecom and SFR-Neuf Cegetel have signed a cooperation agreement covering some fifteen large cities in France to accelerate their fibre network deployments, writes Les Echos. The two companies agreed for their network connection points to be as close as possible to homes, which means inside city apartment buildings, and outside in areas with houses, so that several hundred customers can be served. The agreement aims to clarify installation conditions inside buildings in which either company deploys its fibre. The operator which brings its fibre into the building will be the sole interlocutor for residents' committees but end-users will then refer to one of the two companies to connect their flat. France Telecom is engaged in similar talks with Free and Numericable. The country's secretary for the digital economy, Eric Besson, has said that an agreement including all operators must be finalised by the end of October, otherwise he will ask regulator Arcep to intervene.

Source:Telecompaper