Newspaper claims SFR and Iliad are in talks over tie-up

French newspaper Les Echos says that SFR is in discussions with rival operator Iliad over a possible tie-up. However, the report states that the two operators have not yet reached the stage where they are holding technical meetings, and that previously reported discussions between SFR and cableco Numericable were more advanced. Neither Vivendi nor Iliad have commented on the story. Iliad shook up France’s mobile sector in January when it launched its low-cost service Free Mobile. The new operator gained approximately 6% of the country’s wireless subscribers within six months of launching.