Bouygues Telecom is authorized to buy out EI Telecom, behind which are hidden five operators, including NRJ Mobile, CIC Mobile and CDiscount Mobile. The Competition Authority validated the takeover, which has been effective since December 31, 2020. The 2 million customers of EI Telecom therefore join those of Bouygues Telecom. It remains to be seen whether they will continue to enjoy the same benefits.
Credits: Bouygues Telecom
Last June, Bouygues Telecom signed an agreement to buy out EI Telecom (acronym for Euro-Information Telecom), the Crédit Mutuel subsidiary in charge of marketing the offers of six MVNO operators: NRJ Mobile, CIC Mobile, Crédit Mutuel Mobile, Auchan Telecom and CDiscount Mobile. The finalization of this agreement then depended on the agreement of the Competition Authority. And this one made an agreement favorable to the two partners the December 22.
As of December 31, 2020, Bouygues Telecom is therefore the new 100% owner of EI Telecom and its five brands. This is a big change for the French market: EI Telecom is the fifth French operator and the leading MVNO in France. Thanks to this acquisition, Bouygues Telecom should have more subscribers than Free Mobile. At the last count in September 2020, the first had 12 million and the second 13.5 million.
Bouygues Telecom does not specify how new customers will be welcomed
Buybacks are not always good news for consumers. The merger of SFR with Numericable and that of SFR with Virgin Mobile are good examples. One of the questions now is the fate of EI Telecom customers. Will they all have to use Bouygues Telecom’s network or will they be able, like today, to use that of other operators? We remember that Virgin Mobile customers were forced to migrate to SFR’s network. In addition, will the managed brands’ offerings be kept, or will new customers be pushed towards the Sensation and B & You packages?
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Another interesting information communicated, Bouygues Telecom’s fixed and mobile offers will now be offered in local Crédit Mutuel branches and CIC bank branches. This represents 4800 points of sale which will be added to the existing Bouygues Telecom network, as well as the specialized brands. This means that you will be able to take out a Bouygues Telecom subscription at a CIC or Crédit Mutuel. The press release does not specify whether the network is also responsible for part of the customer service.
