France is the battleground for a new telecommunications war

Last week, everything was very different in the mobile landscape in France. France’sdisruptive telecom company Free was about to make the best strategic move I had ever seen. Yet, it all fell apart today. While it’s a boring industry, the acquisition of SFR is a story of secret agreements and betrayals. SFR is about to get acquired by Altice for $16.4 billion in cash. Vivendi will still hold 32 percent of the new entity. It’s a great deal for Vivendi who has been looking into a potential sale for months.