Monaco Telecom Launches ‘La Box’
Martin Péronnet, CEO of Monaco Telecom, presents a new box which has gained more than 1,500 customers in a month and a half.
It is a small black rectangle which could change many things on the screens of the Principality. The new box from Monaco Telecom has arrived, after a little delay. In over a month and a half, it has gained more than 1,500 customers, or more than “10% of the park,” according to Martin Péronnet, general manager of Monaco Telecom. The box’s features? Firstly, everything is grouped together: internet, television and telephone. And above all, the connection is faster: up to 1 gigabit per second. Besides the comfort of use, it also allows videos to play in 4K because the box is equipped with an adequate decoder. 4K is very, very high definition. The box has an interface which allows access to Youtube, for example, or video on demand. The Wifi is also more powerful.
59.99 Euros per month
Regarding daily use, the new product has several advantages. Especially in terms of output speed. As for rates, it will cost 59.99 Euros per month, which includes high-speed internet, 82 television channels, and unlimited mobile or landline in Monaco or France. Certainly, compared to previous offers, there is progress: before, it was necessary to add 17.90 Euros per month for a telephone subscription, 39.90 Euros for Internet and television, 3 Euros for renting the television box….That’s a total of 68.80 Euros per month.
The current offer is still expensive, compared to the tariffs available in France. But the price is lower than prices in other countries, for example, Luxembourg. The price is also accompanied by additional offers on options such as a second box or unlimited calls to landlines in Europe.
It took two years of research and development to create this box. The launch was accelerated by the acquisition of Monaco Telecom by Xavier Niel, the emblematic boss of ‘Free’.
About Monaco Telecom’s Rates
The Monegasque operator’s rates were discussed during the National Council’s latest public meetings. Thierry Poyet (Majority), who held several key positions within the company, addressed the topic. He spoke of the “increase in contribution towards Monaco Telecom”, wondering why this increase in profits did not go hand in hand with a reduction in tariffs. Martin Péronnet’s answer: “I think that what we do with mobiles today shows that we are able to have extremely competitive rates, which are adapted to the population here. With the box, our rates are in the very good European average. So, in terms of rates, I consider that we are more innovative, especially in the approach to mobile devices, than expensive.” And to recall that investments were made in the data centre or box. Thierry Poyet also discussed the “delay” in the commissioning of this product. “I wonder whether the presence of penalties in the case of non-compliance with commitments would be more motivating and would avoid us inquiring about the delay,” he said. A project like La Box takes “very long to develop” says Martin Péronnet, particularly the internal software.
