France's Mixed Broadband Success

Broadband household penetration in France stood at only 39% at the start of 2008, representing close to 10 million connections. But there's more going on than this slightly meager uptake suggests. On the one hand, France leads the way in investments in underlying access technology, the penetration of advanced services such as IPTV, and the uptake of triple-play services. On the other hand, the adoption of common online activities like online shopping remains below the European average — a legacy of France's slow start in broadband. However, progress over the past two years has captured the interest of broadband consumer product strategists at telcos across Western Europe; they are keen to transfer lessons about the IPTV services, FTTH investments, and triple-play uptake from France to their own markets.