The ECJ went on to state that "[i]n particular, the Court has taken the opportunity to dispense with such proof in circumstances where the eliminatory intent of the undertaking at issue could be presumed in view of that undertaking's application of prices lower than average variable costs" para The ECJ noted that the fact that recouping losses is not a precondition to a finding of predatory pricing in EC law does not prevent the Commission from finding the possibility of recoupment or the lack thereof to be a relevant factor in assessing whether or not the conduct in question is abusive.
In particular, in cases where prices are lower than AVC, it may assist in excluding economic justifications other than the elimination of competition, and where prices are above AVC but below average total costs, it may assist in establishing a plan to eliminate competition.
France Telecom argued that it had a right to align its price with those of its competitors even where its competitors' prices were below cost and argued that the CFI had provided insufficient reasoning as to why France Telecom's alignment of prices was considered to be abusive. The ECJ stated that "although the fact that an undertaking is in a dominant position cannot deprive it of the right to protect its own commercial interests if they are attacked and such an undertaking must be allowed the right to take such reasonable steps as it deems appropriate to protect those interests, it is not possible, however, to countenance such behaviour if its actual purpose is to strengthen that dominant position and abuse it" Judgment, para.
Therefore, dominant undertakings have no right to align their prices with competitors if, in so doing, their conduct is abusive. On 9 February , the Commission issued its guidance on enforcement priorities in applying Article 82 of the EC Treaty to abusive exclusionary conduct by dominant undertakings the Guidance , including predatory pricing. The Guidance provides greater clarity and predictability as regards the general framework of analysis that the Commission employs in determining whether it should pursue cases concerning various forms of exclusionary conduct.
In respect of predatory pricing, the Commission set out that it will generally intervene where there is evidence that a dominant undertaking has engaged in predatory conduct by deliberately incurring losses or foregoing profits in the short term referred to as "sacrifice" , so as to foreclose one or more actual or potential competitors, and thereby causing consumer harm.
Conduct will be viewed by the Commission as entailing sacrifice if, by charging a lower price for all or a particular part of its output over the relevant period, or by expanding its output over the relevant time period, the dominant undertaking incurred a loss that could have been avoided. Accordingly, the Commission will take the average avoidable costs AAC as the starting point for assessing whether a dominant undertaking has incurred or is incurring avoidable losses.
If a dominant undertaking charges a price below AAC for all or part of its output, it is not recovering the costs that could have been avoided by not producing that output on the basis that a firm would not produce a unit of output for which it could not at least recover its costs , it will be regarded as incurring a loss that could have been avoided, and thereby engaging in predatory conduct.
A summary of the main EC law principles regarding predatory pricing is as follows:. Prices below average avoidable costs will generally be regarded as abusive, no evidence of a plan to eliminate competition being required.
Prices above average avoidable costs but below average total costs will be regarded as abusive if they are found to be part of a plan to eliminate one or more competitors from the market. It is not necessary to show that competitors have exited the market in order to prove that there has been abusive conduct on a market.
It is not necessary to show that a dominant undertaking would have a reasonable prospect of recouping its losses in order for the Commission to prove predatory pricing. Find more information regarding cookies on our Data Protection Declaration and regarding us on the Imprint. With the help of these cookies we strive to improve our offer for our users.
By means of anonymized data of website users we can optimize the user flow. This enables us to improve ads and website content. Telephone booths still exist in France , but they become very rare. You will pay for your call with you credit card. Calls can be received at phone boxes where the blue bell sign is shown. If on holiday, you use your mobile phone to call home, within the EU you benefit from the roaming rules. From 15 June , when you use your mobile phone while roaming in the EU, you will in principle pay no extra cost.
Activate the "international" option, OR ask your operator to activate this option, OR set up the "automatic" network in your phone settings instead of the usual operator. If you do not want to keep your phone number , you must personally unsubscribe from your current provider, even if your contract has no fixed-term.
See below on "When to leave". If you want to keep your number , your new provider will be responsible to cancel your contract and ensure the "transfer" of your number. To do this, you must ask your previous provider to give you your personal identity code: " code RIO ". A RIO code is the French equivalent to a PAC code in the UK and basically allows you to change mobile phone providers and keep your existing phone number if you have a mobile phone contract with a French mobile phone provider.
The code RIO is alphanumeric. When can I change? If you have a subscription of 12 months or if you purchased a month subscription and you cancel it during the first year, you will have to pay all the monthly payments until the end of your obligation period.
If you purchased a month subscription and you cancel it during the second year, you will have to pay a quarter of the remaining monthly payments, article L French consumer code. Good to know: Read carefully the terms and conditions of your contract in order to know how and when you can cancel and how much you will have to pay if you decide to cancel your subscription during the first year.
To get information on the end of your obligation, check your last invoice: it necessarily indicates the time left on your subscription, or mentions that your obligation has ended. Termination of a mobile phone contract The conditions vary from one operator to another, most of the contracts being automatically renewable. Internet Generally there is also a minimal duration of contract, but it is possible to cancel your contract by providing the evidence that you are moving abroad.
To find the one that most suits you, keep in mind the following point to check conditions of use of each prepaid card and find the most suitable for you: What is the validity period of the cards and recharges? Will you be informed by the operator about the upcoming end of it and how? Can you receive phone calls when your recharge is empty?
What is the smallest recharge or validity period? Will you be refunded of the remaining credit on the prepaid card if you leave France? On this last point, note that the operator is not obliged by law to refund the remaining credit. Roadmap for the implementation of 5G Begun in July , the plan to deploy 5G in France has multiple objectives to reach before Make available and designate the necessary radio frequencies for the 5G network Promote the development of new industrial uses of 5G Accompany the deployment of 5G infrastructures Ensure transparency and dialogue on the implementation of the 5G network, as well as a public exhibition of it Further information on this article.
About Cookies This website uses cookies. Technically necessary. These cookies are needed for a smooth operation of our website. If you are moving to France and are looking for a cheap, short term solution to get a French phone number, getting a prepaid SIM card is a very viable option.
Read on to discover more about the different French SIM card providers and the offers they propose. The answer is: it depends. You indeed need to assess your situation, needs and budget before you go forth and purchase a French SIM.
Prepaid SIM cards offer both pros and cons, so they won't be suitable for everyone. Read on for more info. Be warned: prepaid cards are not suitable for those who need to use a lot of data , as the allowance they offer is capped in terms of amount and time. They will be best for those with small allowance needs, for instance teenagers getting a phone for the first time, a person in France for a short time for business or leisure, for an elderly person who doesn't need much data Prepaid cards have the advantage of being a lot more flexible than regular French phone plans.
Indeed, you will not be bound to a 12 or month contract as is the case with most regular plans, and once you've used up the card's credit you won't be charged any fees to sign off or change providers. This makes them thus a good option is you are only visiting France for a month or so. Prepaid cards can be bought in advance, and in many cases can be used up to one year following the purchase. The only problem with this system is that it won't be the best bet for someone staying in France long term , as once the validity period typically 30 or 60 consecutive days is over, the credit expires and the SIM is no longer in use.
It is thus up to you to decide if spending that extra money will be worth it to get more allowance, or if you can get by without a problem with less allowance. Staying in France for over 3 months? If so, it's worth signing up for a postpaid mobile phone plan instead of a prepaid SIM. Call our English-speaking customer service line at 09 74 59 56 84 Monday - Friday, am - pm , or ask for a free callback to help you find a plan that meets your needs. You may be wondering whether it's worth taking out a French plan if you already own a plan with a provider from the UK, the US or elsewhere.
The answer here again is, it depends:. If you have a European home contract , while in France you will benefit from the Roam like at Home system. This means that you will not be overcharged for using data on the French continental territory, and your home operator will not be allowed to make you pay fees higher than what they would.
This rule applies to you for up to 3 months, after what you will most likely get fined at very high rates if you keep using your data in France. You will probably be contacted by your operator ahead of time to be warned about this.
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