Numericable targets mobile market ahead of Free launch

French cable operator Numericable has introduced an aggressively priced new mobile tariff, offering unlimited calls, texts and mobile internet for under €25.

Numericable’s offering, which will be available to existing subscribers who pay at least €29.90 a month for their cable service and will be launched on May 16, is seen as an attempt to capture a larger share of the mobile market ahead of the arrival of Free’s service. The latter must launch a 3G mobile service by January next year at the latest.

Unlike Free, which has its own network, Numericable uses the infrastructure of Bouygues Telecom to provide mobile services. Numericable CEO Eric Denoyer said the new tariff was the “three times cheaper” than rival offerings on the market today. For non-Numericable cable customers, the mobile service will be available for €49.90 a month.