- Les Echos reports upstart French carrier Iliad wants to hold talks with rivals SFR (OTCPK:VIVHY) and Bouygues Telecom about a network-sharing deal. Such a deal would allow Iliad to lower its dependence on Orange (ORAN +0.9%), with which it has a roaming deal that lasts at least until 2016, and perhaps until 2018.
- Iliad's aggressive pricing has made it a major thorn in the sides of its rivals since launching in Jan. '12, and has allowed it to grab ~10% of the French mobile services market. The company is paying Orange €500M-€700M/year in roaming fees as it works to build out its own 3G and 4G networks.