France Telecom faces $790m fine

NEWS France Telecom is facing charges of anti-competitive behaviour that could lead to a fine of up to 4.85bn francs ($790m) or the suspension of its licence. The French telecoms regulator, ART, issued an ultimatum on Friday criticising the telco of not making its lists of call rates widely accessible and for racing ahead with discount rates that were not authorised for use until January 2000, according to the Wall Street Journal. The regulator has the power to fine France Telecom as much as 3 per cent of its total revenue, or remove its licence if it doesn't comply.