France Telecom-Orange has signed a partnership agreement with Bouygues Telecom to share the Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) networks it has deployed across France.

Under the terms of the agreement, Orange will share its fibre networks in very densely-populated areas (that is to say, the 148 largest municipalities or communes) with Bouygues Telecom for the horizontal network segment leading to the foot of buildings.

Within the buildings reached by Orange’s FTTH footprint, Bouygues Telecom will have to build its own networks or subscribe to available cable-sharing offers.

Outside very densely populated areas of France, Bouygues Telecom has subscribed to the wholesale cable-sharing offer for the terminal part of Orange’s FTTH networks, and will potentially have access to 8.9mn homes.

France Telecom-Orange announced its fibre deployment program in February 2010, and plans to invest €2bn through 2015 to bring FTTH to 3,600 municipalities, providing coverage for 10mn homes by 2015 and 15mn by 2020, equivalent to 60 per cent of all French households.