FRANCE CALLS ON EUROPEAN PARTNERS TO SHOW REALISM OVER UMTS.

France's telecommunications regulator expressed the hope on January 9 that France's "realism" in respect of UMTS third-generation mobile telephony would be echoed by its European partners. Jean-Michel Hubert, head of the regulatory authority, told the press that "France showed great lucidity over the course of the entire year", welcoming notably the Government's "bold and responsible decision to significantly reduce the cost of licences". Mr Hubert hoped this exemplary realism might be echoed in one form or other in neighbouring countries and called a "European" vision based on "coherence and solidarity".Adopting the position taken by the Regulator in Spring 2001, Finance Minister Laurent Fabius drastically revised...