Numericable

Last updated
Numericable
Company type Subsidiary
Industry Telecommunications
FoundedAugust 2007
Successor SFR
Headquarters
La Défense, Paris, France
Area served
 Metropolitan France, Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg
Key people
Eric Denoyer (CEO)
RevenueIncrease2.svg €1,314 million (2013)
Number of employees
2,182 (2013)
Parent Altice
Website numericable.fr , numericable.be , sfr.lu
Footnotes /references
[1] [2]

Numericable was a major French cable operator and telecommunications services company. Numericable was originally created in 2007 from the merger between former competitors Noos and NC Numericable networks. Numericable Group SA was founded in August 2013 to act as the parent company of Numericable group companies and to offer its shares on the stock exchange. The company provides cable broadband services in France, Luxembourg and Portugal, offering digital and analog television, Internet, and phone services to homes. From 2008, Numericable also offered mobile telephone services to its customers. [3]

Contents

It was the leading cable television provider and internet access provider in metropolitan France. From 2012, Numericable held the largest high-speed broadband network in France, including a small portion using optical fiber or FTTX.

On September 19, 2013, following failed talks with the French telecommunications company SFR, the company announced it had taken the first steps towards an initial public offering on the NYSE Euronext market in Paris. [4] [5]

On March 5, 2014, Numericable, backed by its lead shareholder Altice, made an offer to buy Vivendi's SFR telecommunications affiliate, France's second largest. The bid is said to include about 11 billion euros ($15.2 billion) in cash, 3 billion euros in Numericable’s cable assets and a 750 million-euro capital increase by Altice. Numericable merged with SFR in November 2014 to form Numericable-SFR. In April 2016, the merged company adopted the SFR name across all its businesses.

The brand Numericable remained used to designate the SFR cable and fiber TV offers (which had more channels than SFR ADSL) until 2019.

History

Origin of the network

From the end of World War II until May 1981, when the French Socialist Party came swept to power with the election of François Mitterrand, the state held a monopoly on the production and distribution of audiovisual programmes on French territory. On July 29, 1982, Law 82-652 abolished the state monopoly and created both a Council and High Authority on Audiovisual Communication to oversee the liberalisation of the French audiovisual sector. [6]

In 1982, the National Cable Plan was approved, with the ambitious goal of connecting one million households within five years and using the most advanced techniques of the time, including fiber-optic technology. In order to finance the project, a public-private partnership was put in place that allowed private operators to utilise the networks set up by France Telecom to commercial ends. [7]

Regulations provided for highly favourable concessions that were awarded to private operators (up to 99 years). Water and Sewage Treatment service providers often diversified into the cable market and used their close ties with local municipalities to win concessions. [8]

On June 6, 1985, the group Lyonnaise des eaux created the company Paris Câble, which would later become Lyonnaise Câble, Noos, and Numericable. [9] Officially launched on November 25, 1986, the launch of the National Cable Plan marked the start of the commercial use of cable networks in Paris. In 1996, 16 regional operators merged into a national player, Lyonnaise Communications.

From Lyonnaise Câble to Noos

In May 2000, Noos became the brand name of Lyonnaise Communications in a move that was accompanied by the harmonization of Lyonnaise’s cable networks. [10] Following its national expansion strategy, Noos took over the cable television assets of French group NTL in November 2001.

At this point, three cable operators were still in business: France Telecom, NC Numericable and Noos.

New fiber optic network and diversification

NC Numericable and Noos merged in 2006. [11] One year later, the brand Noos disappeared and was replaced by the name Numericable. [12] A new logo and marketing campaign was subsequently launched in August 2007. For the first time, all of French cable networks were technically owned by one company.

In 2005, Numéricâble launched its activities in the Antilles. In 2008, Le Câble Numericable bought WSG and MTVC, the major cable operators in Guadeloupe and Martinique.

Mobile virtual network operator

In 2007, Numericable announced that it had signed a deal with Bouygues Telecom to use its mobile network, thereby opening the way to offering mobile services to its customers. The company subsequently launched the service in 2008. [13]

Numericable was launched as a mobile virtual network operator on May 16, 2011, advertising an ‘unlimited’ offer and highlighting its competitiveness. To accompany its business development, Numericable launched a ‘triple play’ internet offer, costing four euros per month, on September 13, 2011. [14] [15]

In order to compete with new offers launched by rival company Free, Numericable launched an ‘unlimited’ mobile phone plan costing €19.99 per month on January 23, 2012, contributing to the company’s general move to lower prices. [16]

Launching fiber optic technology in France

To compete with competitors’ Internet terminals, Numericable announced the launch of ‘Box by Numericable’, a product that is both modem and receiver. According to the operator, the box allows access to 300 thematic channels, to the Internet and to make an unlimited number of calls to landlines and mobile numbers in France, as well as to several international locations. For the eligible clients, the Box allows a high-speed internet connection (up to 200 megabytes/second) as long as it is linked to a local network. The Box also gives its clients access to videos on-demand (VOD) and multiple social network applications, such as Twitter. [17]

SFR Public Offering

While the name of the group was Numericable, the management remained legally administered by two separate companies: Numericable SAS and NC Numericable (formerly known as Noos). Ypso Holding S.à r.l. was a holding company controlling Numericable companies, owned by the American Carlyle Group (35%), the British private-equity firm Cinven (35%) and Altice, a Luxembourg-based cable operator (30%). On 2 August 2013, Numericable Group SA was formed as the parent company of Numericable group companies. [18]

On September 19, 2013, Numericable Group announced the launch of a legal and financial process aimed at the company’s initial public offering on the Paris stock exchange, regulated by NYSE Euronext. The declared objective was to obtain new financial resources to invest in French fiber-optic development. [19] The shares were offered on 7 November 2013. [20]

Recent news

In November 2014, France’s competition watchdog approved a deal for Numericable to acquire Virgin Mobile France for €325 million. [21]

SFR launched its fiber packages in November 2014, using the Numericable network and TV bouquets. In France, the cable networks had an exemption from exclusivity of TV channels. Following the launch of the SFR by Numericable offers, Canalsat has withdrawn the Numericable exemption, which has made it lose certain channels such as Eurosport, Disney XD, Disney Junior, Disney Cinema, Comédie+, Planète+, Télétoon+ and Piwi+.

Altice launched its SVOD service, Zive, on 17 November 2015. It was renamed SFR Play in late 2016.

Altice acquired the rights of many sports competitions (Premier League, Liga NOS, Champions League) to form its SFR Sport bouquet. Altice signed an exclusive agreement with Discovery and NBCUniversal in December 2016. The premium movies and series TV channel Altice Studio was launched on 22 August 2017.

Numericable was rebranded as SFR in Belgium and Luxembourg on 15 February 2016, with its launch of Zive.

In December 2016, Altice announced to sell SFR Belux to Telenet for €400 million. [22]

The Numericable and SFR channels numbering were merged on 22 August 2017, and in 2019, the Numericable exclusive channels (MTV, Nickelodeon, Série Club, Cartoon Network...) were added to SFR ADSL offer. The brand Numericable disappeared.

Services

The company provided the following services:

National Network

Numericable controls the vast majority of the cable network in France, representing some 9.5 million potential households or about 32% of French households. [23] The company has 3.5 million television subscribers, 1,037,000 for internet and 753,000 for telephone services. [24]

As of June 2012, the cable operator counts over a half million high-speed fiber-optic customers and 4.6 million households connected to the network. Later that year in November 2012, a company press release announced that the number had grown to almost 600,000. [25] According to figures published by Arcep, Numericable holds 70% of the high-speed fiber-optic market. [26]

International Network

Numericable also had operations in Luxembourg, Belgium, French Caribbean (Martinique, Guadeloupe and French Guiana) and Portugal.

In 2016, Numericable was replaced by SFR in Belgium, Luxembourg and Overseas France.

In Portugal, Altice sold Cabovisão, due to Meo acquisition, to Apax France and it was rebranded as Nowo on 19 September 2016.

List of Numericable CEOs

Ownership

After its listing on the Paris NYSE Euronext stock exchange, Numericable main shareholders are the Luxembourg investment fund Altice (30%), which is listed under the ticker ATC on the Amsterdam NYSE Euronext stock exchange since January 2014 and is controlled and led by the French-Israeli investor and telecommunications executive Patrick Drahi, the American private-equity group Carlyle Group (26.3%), and the British private-equity firm Cinven (18.2%).

2011 Publicity Campaign

In October 2011, Numericable launched a €10 million nationwide advertising campaign with the advertising firm Fred & Farid that featured three fictional creatures that represent the three principal services of the company: television, internet and wireless communications. These mascots were named the Numiz (Cabiz in Portugal).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telecommunications in Belgium</span>

Communications in Belgium are extensive and advanced. Belgium possesses the infrastructure for both mobile and land-based telecom, as well as having significant television, radio and internet infrastructure. The country code for Belgium is BE.

Telecommunications in France are highly developed. France is served by an extensive system of automatic telephone exchanges connected by modern networks of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, and a domestic satellite system; cellular telephone service is widely available, expanding rapidly, and includes roaming service to foreign countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altice USA</span> American telecommunications and media company; spin-off of Altice Europe

Altice USA, Inc., commonly known as Altice, is an American telecommunications provider with headquarters in New York City, owned by the Franco-Israeli businessman Patrick Drahi. The company delivers pay television, Internet access, telephone services, and original television content to approximately 4.9 million residential and business customers in 21 U.S. states. Altice USA is based at One Court Square in Long Island City, Queens, New York City. The company's operational center located at Cablevision's former headquarters in Bethpage, Nassau County, New York, on Long Island. With its combined brands, Altice USA is the fourth-largest cable provider in the U.S., serving customers residing in the New York metropolitan area as well as in several Midwestern and Southern U.S. states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telenet Group</span> Largest provider of cable broadband services in Belgium

Telenet Group N.V. is the largest provider of cable broadband services in Belgium. Its business comprises the provision of analog and digital cable television, fixed and mobile telephone services, primarily to residential customers in Flanders and Brussels. In addition, Telenet offers services to business customers all across Belgium and in Luxembourg under its brand Telenet Solutions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SFR</span> French telecommunications company

SFR is a French telecommunications company. It is both the second oldest mobile network operator and the second largest telecommunications company in France, after Orange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maroc Telecom</span> Telecommunications company of Morocco

Maroc Telecom is the main telecommunications company in Morocco. Currently employing around 11,178 employees, it is the largest telecommunications network in the country with 8 regional delegations and 220 offices present across Morocco. The company is listed on both the Casablanca Stock Exchange and Euronext Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierre Danon</span> French entrepreneur

Pierre Danon is a French entrepreneur. He currently serves on the board of directors of several companies in Europe. He is chairman of SoLocal Group in Paris and the executive chairman of Volia in Kyiv.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot (Israel)</span> Israeli cable television, internet and telecommunications company

Hot Telecommunication Systems Ltd. is a company that provides cable television, last-mile Internet access, broadband and telecommunication services in Israel. It also provides various data transmission services and network services at different rates, services to the business sector and other ancillary services.

Bouygues Telecom S.A. is a French mobile phone, Internet service provider and IPTV company, part of the Bouygues group. It is the third oldest mobile network operator in France, after Orange and SFR, and before Free Mobile, and provides 2G GSM, 3G UMTS, 4G LTE and 5G NR services. Its headquarters, designed by Arquitectonica and opened in 2011, is located at the border of Paris and Issy-les-Moulineaux near the River Seine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neuf Cegetel</span>

Neuf Cegetel was a French wireline telecommunications service provider and a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). It offered various telecommunications services to consumers, enterprises and wholesale customers, ranking second in the country in annual revenues. It was legally established in 2005 following the completion of the merger between Neuf Telecom and Cegetel. As of June 2008, the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of SFR, and the brand disappeared commercially.

Digi Communications N.V., also known as DIGI Group, is a Romanian telecommunications holding company, which also has businesses in Spain, Italy, Portugal and Belgium. The firm has current statutory seat in the Netherlands and headquarters of effective management in Romania. Digi was founded by Zoltán Teszári, who is the majority shareholder, and has been listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange since May 16, 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MEO (telecommunication company)</span> Portuguese telecommunications company

MEO is a mobile and fixed telecommunications service and brand from Altice Portugal, managed by MEO - Serviços de Comunicações e Multimédia. The service was piloted in Lisbon in 2007 and was later extended to Porto and Castelo Branco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virgin Mobile France</span> French cellular telephone operator

Virgin Mobile France was a cellular telephone operator in France. It launched in 2006 as a joint venture between Virgin Group and Carphone Warehouse. The company operated as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), whereby it did not own or operate its own mobile network but instead used the network of Orange S.A. As of June 2014, the company was the largest MVNO in France, with 1.5 million customers, and had a market share of 1.3% at the beginning of 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UPC Broadband</span> European telecommunications company

UPC Holding is a European telecommunications company owned by Liberty Global which provides cable television, broadband internet and fixed telephony in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ziggo</span> Dutch cable operator

Ziggo B.V. is the largest cable operator in the Netherlands, providing digital cable television, Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Drahi</span> Jewish businessman and billionaire (born 1963)

Patrick Drahi is a French-Israeli billionaire magnate and investor with interests in media and telecoms. He is the founder and controlling shareholder of the European-based telecom group Altice. A former French citizen, he lives in Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altice (company)</span> French multinational telecommunications company

Altice Europe N.V. is a French multinational telecommunications and mass media company with official headquarters in the Netherlands, founded and headed by the French-Israeli billionaire businessman Patrick Drahi, and the second largest telecoms company in France, behind Orange.

Vivolta was a French pay-tv-channel devoted "to the art of everyday feminine living" launched on December 10, 2007. The channel ceased operations on December 31, 2018.

Optimum is an American telecommunications brand owned and operated by Altice USA. It is the fourth largest cable provider in the United States and a Fortune 500 company. Optimum offers Internet, television, mobile and home phone serving in 17 states.

References

  1. ↑ "Numericable a dépassé les 500000 abonnés et va continuer d'investir". TF1. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  2. ↑ "Numericable Group SA (NUME.PA) Quote". Reuters. Archived from the original on 8 November 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  3. ↑ "Numericable va devenir opérateur virtuel de téléphonie mobile". 01Net. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  4. ↑ "Company Overview of Numericable SAS". Bloomberg Business. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  5. ↑ "France's Numericable eyes 5.6 billion euro valuation with IPO". Reuters UK. Retrieved 31 October 2013.[ dead link ]
  6. ↑ "Chronologie de la politique de l'audiovisuel". 1 January 2010. Archived from the original on 13 May 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  7. ↑ "Chronologie de la politique de l'audiovisuel". 1 January 2010. Archived from the original on 13 May 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  8. ↑ "La télévision par câble" by José Frèches, collection "Que sais-je ?", Presses universitaires de France, pages 34 to 39
  9. ↑ "Renseignements juridiques". société.com. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  10. ↑ Garrigos Raphaël (4 May 2000). "Libération".
  11. ↑ "UPC-Noos-Numericable devient l'unique câblo-opérateur français". 01Net. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  12. ↑ "Noos devient Numericable". L'Express. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  13. ↑ "Numericable va devenir opérateur virtuel de téléphonie mobile". 01Net. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  14. ↑ "Numericable propose "son" tarif social de l'Internet à 4 euros par mois". ZDNet. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  15. ↑ "Numericable lance une offre sociale à 4 euros par mois". DegroupNews. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  16. ↑ "Comme Free, Numericable lance un forfait mobile illimité à 19,99 euros". Le Parisien. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  17. ↑ "Twitter sur La Box de Numericable : une intégration étroite avec la TV". Clubic. Archived from the original on 22 June 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  18. ↑ "Q3 2013 Results" (PDF). Numericable Group. 28 November 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  19. ↑ "France's Numericable eyes 5.6 billion euro valuation with IPO". Reuters UK. Retrieved 31 October 2013.[ dead link ]
  20. ↑ "Success of Numericable Group's IPO". Cinven. 7 November 2013. Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  21. ↑ "French regulator approves Numericable-Virgin deal" (Press release). Reuters. 27 November 2014.
  22. ↑ "Altice to sell SFR BeLux to Telenet for 400 million euros" (Press release). Reuters. 22 December 2016. Archived from the original on December 22, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Des ménages toujours plus petits - Projection de ménages pour la France métropolitaine à l'horizon 2030". INSEE. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  24. ↑ "Communiqués de Presse". Numericable. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  25. ↑ "Numericable poursuit sa croissance au troisième semestre". La Fibre Optique. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  26. ↑ "Observatoires: Haut et Très Haut Débit : marché de détail". Arcep. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.