SFR launches first converged product with Numericable

La Box Fibre de SFR

Ahead of its formal acquisition by Numericable, French telco SFR has launched the latter’s La Box Fibre product to its subscribers, allowing them to access internet speeds of up to 200Mbps over the Numericable network, but under the SFR brand.

SFR said the new offer, which will priced between €29.99 and €41.99 depending on the package chosen, will enable users to access fibre-powered internet at speeds up to 10 times that currently available via ADSL.

The box will be offered to new customers across Numericable’s fibre footprint. SFR will continue to separately offer its Android-based TV box to other customers.

In addition to providing Numericable’s restart service with access to content from 67 channels, picture-in-picture, the ability to simultaneously record two streams to a 500GB hard disk, and access to a 30,000-strong video-on-demand catalogue, the box will also provide access to SFR services such as home-security offering Home by SFR, cloud-storage service SFR Cloud.

As a promotional offer, SFR is offering Multi-Packs subscribers signing up for La Box TV Fibre de SFR and a mobile bundle access to its mobile Extras packages – Canalplay, Napster, iCoyote, SFR Jeux, leKiosk and l’Equipe – free between now and January 19.

Separately, Numericable parent company Altice’s president, Patrick Drahi, has reportedly chosen an executive committee dominated by Numericable executives to run the combined SFR-Numericable. According to financial daily Les Echos, six of the nine members of the committee are from Numericable, including Eric Klipfel, in charge of branding, products and marketing, Thierry Lemaitre, finance director, d’Angélique Benetti, content director, Philippe Le May, technology director, Olivier Urcel, head of information systems, and Jérôme Yomtov, secretary-general in charge of institutional relations and external communications.

According to Les Echos, Pascal Rialland, CEO of Virgin Mobile France, which Numericable is acquiring, will supervise the SFR-Numericable distribution network. Only François Rubichon, who will be in charge of human resources, legal and corporate affairs and internal communications, is the only survivor from SFR’s management team, while current SFR Jean-Yves Charlier will continue to act as an advisor to Drahi to ensure a smooth transition.

Eric Denoyer, currently CEO of Numericable, will be chief executive of the new company.

Altice last week posted third quarter revenues of €832 million, down 0.3% or down 0.7% on a constant currency basis, and EBITDA of €396 million, up 12%.