In late September, ETDE took on the new business function of broadband telecom operator, with the acquisition of Axione and five concession companies holding franchises. For the operational units concerned, this strategic acquisition opens opportunities on a works and maintenance market that will prove very substantial in coming years.
In rural and semi-rural areas across France today, there are some 14 million telephone lines requiring government intervention for broadband coverage. In 2002, to combat urban-rural inequalities in digital communications coverage, the French government launched a plan designed to bring broadband Internet to all French localities by 2007. As Pierre-Éric Saint-André (Axione deputy CEO) explains, “Thirty percent of broadband lines today are concentrated in twenty or so major conurbations, and the remainder across the rest of the country.”
In June 2004, the plan was further bolstered by a law on “confidence in the digital economy”; which would allow local authorities to become telecom operators implementing a franchising procedure. The delegated organization thus takes on network operator duties, covering construction, operation and maintenance, selling internet service providers (such as Club-Internet, Tiscali and NeufCegetel) and telecom operators broadband transmission services addressing all end clients across the area in question. This results in local free market conditions with alternatives to France Télécom. There are three main players on this market today: Axione, LD Collectivités and Vinci/Axia. Funding is provided in part by the delegated organization and in part from public sources (including the European Community). Twenty-four franchises have been awarded to date, including five for Axione. Around fifty more are expected to follow in the next five years.


Complementary skills
Thanks to the unique combination of complementary skills available across its various business units, ETDE emerges as the only neutral player on this market capable of offering local authorities a full solution under a franchise agreement, covering finance, design, construction, maintenance and operation of a broadband network. This global solution capability brings opportunities across all ETDE divisions. For a start, works components will involve Utility Networks (fibre optics networks, fibre optics on VHV line, etc.), Electrical & HVAC Engineering (shelters, network heads, etc.), and the Exprimm Operators Branch (telecom antennas, maintenance, etc.). Work is expected to top €100 million throughout the rollout period, and maintenance for networks and equipment is estimated at over €20 million per year. In addition, as Jean-Michel Guéry (ETDE deputy CEO for development & technologies, and mastermind behind the acquisition) points out, “synergy actually goes much further, because ETDE Networks & Communications will also be able to offer local businesses broadband internet access and VoIP enterprise network systems (for internet telephony).”


Major player in the broadband arena
“Axione specializes in broadband network support for local authorities”, explains Axione chairman Jacques Beauvois. “We have all the technical and commercial skills needed for effective network management, and expect to generate sales of €10 million for 2006, rising to around €20 million by 2010. We act as an operators operator, offering services to national operators (like Neuf-Cegetel and Colt), ISPs (like Free), and local operators (like SPTHD at Pau), so that they can roll out services across the territory in question.” Because Axione does not sell services to end users, it guarantees its operator clients total neutrality, as well as guaranteeing the local authority an efficient high-performance network. “As far as local authorities are concerned, our neutrality is a prime advantage”, stresses Mr Saint-André. With this acquisition, ETDE boosts business with local authorities, which already account for 50% of net sales. Mr Guéry sums up by noting that the acquisition “brings us closer still to our clients, enabling us to forge very long-lasting relationships (twenty years on average) with them throughout the whole duration of a franchise. Of course, this also means we can make commitments on local employment and personnel skills.”

With SAUR's new communication solution, telephone signals transit via the same network as IT data and applications. This high-potential technological innovation converges all existing media and opens up full nomad-office capabilities.

As well as accessing e-mails, voice messages and faxes from their computers or personal phones, personnel at the headquarters building or any other location can also programme messages and call routing as required.

"Users get more advanced features than with previous systems. The new system brings improvements in application scope, ease-of-use and flexibility, which enhances our response capacity and enables us to deliver top-quality service to our clients. We also achieve considerable financial savings, and relocation becomes much more straightforward."

Prime ETDE know-how, encompassing skills in networks and telecommunications, was harnessed to design and install a solution of optimum technical, economic and ergonomic efficacy.

One feature of the new system is spatial duplication, a technical solution involving dual central computers at separate sites, for optimum physical security in the event of fire, flooding, etc.). From an economic standpoint, the infrastructure budget is optimized by having a single workstation cable. And management and maintenance are handled by the same personnel.

"ETDE know-how in technology convergence spans the whole project, from design through to maintenance, which means we also provide clients with a valuable advisory service".

"The SAUR project is the first ever wide-scale rollout of true workstation-integrated telephony-on-IP".

"Technological developments, such as the emergence of new Alcatel products, enable us to implement consistent global solutions closely matched to client requirements. Indeed, productive cooperation between ETDE Networks & Communication and Alcatel should enable us to take up a position as key partner for forthcoming projects".

More information : a.herupe@etde.fr