France’s four mobile network operators has signed a contract with city authorities in Paris enabling them to deploy Long Term Evolution (LTE) antennas in the capital, ahead of the launch of 4G services there. The signing marks an end to a dispute which has rumbled on for months over the potential health risks arising from high transmission levels of LTE masts in the city. Environmentalists had voiced their fears about the strength of mobile phone signals used by LTE, leading to a strange situation that Paris could have been the last major French city to have 4G mobile services.
With the signing of the agreement, Orange France, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Iliad’s Free Mobile will be able to install LTE masts on more than 200 official buildings, or ‘about half of what it takes to cover Paris,’ said an unnamed source, according to La Tribune.