Orange said to be nothing in the failure of Free

 

Deal with failures and congestion at peak times on the network of Free Mobile, the regulator, Jean-Ludovic Silicani referred back to back and Free Orange mobile, connected by a roaming agreement. Result: Orange has threatened to suspend service if something goes wrong. Ultimately, consumers do not understand anything. UFC-Que Choisir has asked for an explanation and compensation for clients. Since Tuesday, the customer portal on its website, Free mobile communicates the reasons for the different reference technical problems and five failures, dated March 2 to 25. The operator foresees a gradual return to normal next week.

LE FIGARO – Specifically, what do roaming provided by Orange Free Mobile?

Jean-Luc Vuillemin – Orange has its network across France. Free Mobile has its own, but there are currently limited coverage. Simply allows Orange Free Mobile subscribers on its network to come when they are not covered by Free. This model, known as roaming, is very different from the MVNOs like Virgin Mobile, for example, that it is completely hosted on the Orange network. Virgin customers have own SIM cards but they only use the Orange network.

What causes the failures?

There are two types of failures. First, those related to the functioning of Free network. On the other hand, those who take part in defining the interconnection link between the network and our Free. In both cases, Orange is in no way responsible for malfunctions of Customer Freemobile. With regard to equipment malfunctions Free Mobile Network, it was concerned for the failure of 2 and 14 March, signaling transfer points that identify subscribers Freemobile where they are, what service they are entitled, and which are involved in each call from a client including Free when roaming on the Orange network, and the failure of 20 in a micro network Freemobile.

What causes congestion at peak times?

This is precisely the second category of dysfunction, related to the design of interconnection link between the network and Free Orange network. Orange provides Freemobile these interconnect links called BPN (primary digital block) based on traffic forecasts that Freemobile gives us. The size of this link interconnection is the sole responsibility of Free has underestimated its forecasts, which explains the inconvenience Online payday loans. Orange is the responsibility of its network is working, what is the case, since the beginning!

Are you responsible, at least in part, as suggested by the regulator?

In any way. And my teams who have at heart their operator business networks, have been married very amalgam of various statements in recent days suggesting that Orange Free mobile shared with the responsibility for these failures. Orange has no responsibility in incidents encountered by Free. We spend a lot of time designing and making our live networks. We, of course, anticipated that customers Free emerge from the old 2G handsets in their drawers … The terminal base is key for the network that we follow very precisely.

Orange is it affected by failures recorded on the Free Mobile?

The contract provides that if the Orange network was affected, we may suspend service to Free, the time it finds a normal operation. We are therefore protected and our clients have no reason to worry about the quality of service Orange. They can be fully reassured. We were ranked first network by ARCEP, and we intend to maintain this quality. My team includes 6,000 people who work day and night, 365 days a year on the network, to maintain quality.

A mobile network is it more complicated to manage than a landline?

Yes, it is undoubtedly more complex. First, because in a mobile network the subscriber is constantly moving and the network must constantly issue queries to see where he is. On the other hand, in a fixed network operator mastering the whole chain as it is he who provides the box at the customer's home. In Mobile, in the terminal end of the chain can be a 2G phone, 3G phone, smartphone Android, Apple, Nokia, or even a tablet. There are thousands of combinations which greatly complicates the task. Over time, Orange has gained a real expertise that a young operator, whatever, can not have. This is what makes all the difference. Launch a mobile operator is very complicated. It takes skills internally, and in sufficient quantity.

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Customers Free forgive "errors of youth"

 

Free Mobile customers retain a large majority, confident in their new operator. This is what spring launched a call for evidence on lefigaro.fr, which raised last week over 500 comments.

Two major trends. There are those for which the passage went smoothly and that no difficulty to make calls. "In Grenoble, it captures nickel without using the Orange network," says Andrei. "In some places, the coverage SFR does not allow me to capture correctly and to Free, in the same places, I get the network" welcomes Jules.

"Between 17 and 20 hours, it's hell"

Then there are those, more numerous, who see recurrent problems call for the evening, as well as cuts. "Between 17 and 20 hours, it's hell for making a call. It always fails on "network busy" and you have to try again twenty times to make a call, "says Emily. "Since March 5, the flow of Free Mobile 3G has enormously weakened and is very unstable", complete a resident of Lille.

Yet these customers often forgive the "teething problems" Free Mobile. "When I chose to come to Free, I knew there would be concerns, but I trust the professionalism of Free to solve these problems quickly," says Guy, Internet subscriber for ten years at Free. "At that price, I agree to some problems of network", abounds Paulo, who has spent her entire family at Free Mobile. Anthony, He remembers the difficulties encountered by the first mobile operators. "I suppose we must give some time to Free to upgrade," he considers.

Other customers are less forgiving. "I regret that I spent at Free! Customer service is saturated with calls. This is not a serious operator who was obviously not prepared enough to get into the mobile, "says Vince. "I just changed to B & You (the low-cost brand of Bouygues Telecom, Ed). There's no commitment so, who knows, I may come back when they are at Free at the point, "says Jordan.

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Spain could lead the European Relief Fund

 

Spain hopes to get the chairmanship of the Permanent Mechanism of rescue of the euro area (SS) and seems well positioned to succeed, according to an EU official interviewed on Sunday by Agence France-Presse. "It's a real possibility" for Madrid to recover this function to be assigned soon, he said, on condition of anonymity on the sidelines of a meeting of EU leaders in Finland.

The permanent emergency mechanism to protect the countries of the monetary union of the debt crisis must be activated in July. Until recently it was taken for granted that the current President of the Temporary Relief Fund in the euro area (EFSF), the German Klaus Regling, head of the MES. But several key positions must be free by this summer in major European institutions (Eurogroup EFSF, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) and the negotiations are going well.

Unable cumulation of Germany

But the hackneyed Germany itself cards by campaigning for his Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble will become the next president of the Eurogroup when the mandate of the current incumbent, Prime Minister of Luxembourg Jean-Claude Juncker, will arrive due this summer. Given the economic weight of Germany, Schäuble is well positioned to obtain the direction of this forum of finance ministers of the monetary union, said two officials of the euro area also on condition of anonymity no checking account payday advance. "It is the favorite," said one of them. In these circumstances it would be very difficult for Germany to get more of MY president.

So Spain seriously eyeing this function. Because at the same time Madrid has little chance of securing a position in the Executive Board of the European Central Bank, also at stake and for which she has applied. This is a Luxembourg, Yves Mersch, who is best placed, the sources said. "Of two things, if Schäuble was appointed to the Euro, Spain can expect the MES as compensation. And finally if Juncker was to remain in the Eurogroup, Spain will get the job at the ECB as the Luxembourg can claim the two portfolios, "said one official.

In Finland, the Spanish Secretary of State to the European Union, Inigo Mendez de Vigo, would not comment on details of ongoing negotiations. "I can tell you that ultimately we will not be losers" of history, he said at a news conference. "We are a family, a family and sometimes you do not get everything you want but ultimately you should feel at ease and I am confident that ultimately we will be at ease" with the result, he said.

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Barack Obama's Energy Revolution

 

The price of a gallon of gasoline at the pump exceeded $ 4 in many parts of the United States. It is a trauma for Americans who drive a lot and often in vehicles big bike.

Pay more than $ 1 per liter, or 17% more than last year, imposed on their budget. The seasonal nature of gasoline demand likely makes one gallon for $ 5 by summer.

54% of Americans believe that their president could do much to combat this trend trim their buying power and weakening growth. The popularity of Barack Obama suffers 65% of voters are unhappy with how it handles this issue. In this busy electoral context, the presidential candidate began a two-day tour in Nevada and New Mexico. His message: "We operate oil fields everywhere: this is why our dependence on imported energy has fallen every year since I was in power."

Barack Obama has abandoned the slogan that has long repeated: "Oil is the energy of the past." It now claims to support all forms of energy production, not just renewables.

"As long as I am president, I will not give the promise of clean energy," he said Wednesday in Nevada on the occasion of his visit to a field of solar panels. Bankruptcy Solyndra, a manufacturer of solar panels, which received $ 535 million of subsidies, however, undermined the credibility of the presidential message. His promises of thousands of jobs created by "green energy" were not held cheap payday advance.

600,000 jobs created

However, the boom hydraulic fracturing since 2008 has pushed gas production in the United States and depressing prices. Applying this technique to oil shale helps boost crude output at its highest in eight years. Manufacturers responsible for these innovations feel they owe anything to Obama.

Instead, they feel unfairly targeted by the White House. "The Obama administration says it supports the increased production of oil and gas. But it blocked the Keystone XL (which was to supply the Gulf of Mexico oil shale Canadian). It claims to boost domestic production, but permits drilling in federal areas have plunged 44%, "says Jack N. Gerard, president of the American Petroleum Institute. "Many more jobs have been created by the boom in oil and gas as" green economy, '"says Daniel Yergin, head of Cambridge Energy Research Associates. It amounts to 600,000 the number of jobs created by this revolution. These figures are echoed by Obama today, marking a dramatic conversion of the President of the benefits of a sector that has long disdained.

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PS project: the note gets longer

 

During the presentation of his project in late January, Francois Hollande announced 20 billion of new spending, financed mainly by tax increases and some savings. The Enterprise Institute is in general agreement with the encryption of the Socialist Party.

But the think tank (think tank) notes that the candidate PS has proposed in its draft other measures that do not appear in the details of 20 billion. As such, the ecological transition (1 online payday loan lenders.8 billion per year according to the Institute), very high speed over the entire territory (1 billion), hiring employment center (0.8 to 1.2 billion ). Added to this are the measures announced later, the bill may be between 3.9 and 6.5 billion per year in 2017, according to the Institute. By itself, the establishment of an early childhood service would cost 1.8 to 3.7 billion.

In crisp TNT, UPS requires a leader

 

It only took a month of discussions that management of TNT Express, a former subsidiary of the Dutch post, accept the proposed UPS. The American giant of more than 400,000 employees whose turnover in 2011 exceeded more than $ 50 billion has evolved its offering at a time when TNT Express through a bad patch. This has indeed posted a net loss of 270 million euros in 2011 against a profit of 66 million euros in 2010.

UPS approached by mid-February, leaders of TNT Express had rejected an offer that valued the company 4.9 billion euros. But to 5.16 billion euros, UPS was unanimous. This acquisition will enable the U.S. group found mainly across the Atlantic to catch up. In the business of courier, transporting small packages, UPS accounted for only 7.7% of the European market against 9.6% for TNT Express, Fedex and 3.3% to 17.6% for DHL, a subsidiary Deutsche Post, according to figures from Transport Intelligence firm.

While approaching, the two biggest names in express transportation become a European leader in size to cross swords with DHL and especially a world champion since their continental positions complement each other. An asset to get the green light from competition authorities even if Deutsche Post yesterday estimated that the European Commission would consider merging with caution.

The new group formed should weigh a turnover of $ 60 billion and 477,000 employees. By comparison, another U.S. giant, Fedex, achieved a turnover of $ 41 billion in 2011 and employs 290,000 people.

Target: 50% of international sales

The presence of UPS TNT in different regions of the world should stabilize as sales in the U payday loans online.S. will increase from 74% to 64% UPS only for the new group and Europe will reach 22% after the operation against 14% for the only American group.

"Why TNT is it very attractive?" Asked Kurt Kuehn, UPS's chief financial officer, during a press conference in Amsterdam: "Because he manages operations in areas of the world that were unserved: Brazil, Australia, Middle East, the road and rail networks in Europe. "The objective announced by UPS is to reach 50% of sales overseas in the next five years against 26% at present. 

Financially, the acquisition should help to achieve one billion euros in savings, once the integration of TNT Express will be accomplished. Clearly, the group provides $ 400 to 550 million euros in savings per year from 2015 through improved efficiency of logistics platforms, an optimization of aircraft fleets, purchasing … However, the CFO UPS declined to answer questions on possible job cuts among the ranks of TNT. The transaction, which must be profitable within the first year, could be completed in the third quarter of the year.

It is likely that the competitor UPS, Fedex, will not thwart the hostile bid. Especially since the competitor UPS does not have $ 3 billion in cash.

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Presidential: spending cuts in sham

 

So far, Francois Hollande was very talkative on controlling public spending. To prove his seriousness in budgetary matters, the PS argued the EUR 49 billion of tax increases planned – both graded increases to fund new measures and to reduce the public deficit to 3% in 2013. Change in tone Thursday on France 2. The Socialist candidate was more explicit result: the return to balance accounts in 2017 will also "by 50 billion savings on public spending," he said, highlighting a point that appears from the origin, but discreetly, in its program.

In fact, in a country where public expenditure accounts for 56.6% of GDP, while fiscal consolidation achieved through an action on the charges. Except as we stay in France. Unlike the choices made in the UK and measures imposed in Portugal or Greece, or Francois Hollande nor Nicolas Sarkozy proposed to actually reduce government spending, that is to say, the return of 100 euros a year to 95 next year. The two main candidates simply promise to slow the rise.

From 1978 to 2008, public spending grew on average by 2.6% per year, plus inflation. "We will limit their increases to 1% per year," said Francois Hollande. Right, this government promised in Brussels an increase of 0.4% per year until 2016. Then where are the savings put forward by both sides? This is actually a smaller increase in expenses, compared to their natural tendency (which is explained by the increase in salaries of civil servants, the increase in health spending, the rising number of retirees, etc.. ). This is supposed to be parallel to that of GDP. Example project with Holland. Without special measures, the approximately 1 trillion of government spending should increase as the national wealth (1.7% per year initially, 2.25% at the end, according to forecasts of the candidate). An average increase of about 2% per year during the future five-year-around 20 billion euros each year free credit report and score. The PS wants to limit their growth to 1% per year. The economy compared to the natural drift is 10 billion per year and $ 50 billion in the five year term. The weight of public expenditure in GDP would decline to 53.9% while in 2017 the government is 52.8% in 2016. In both cases, the action will inevitably unpopular.

Divisive options

Social benefits-health costs, pensions, family allowances or unemployment … – indeed absorb 45% of public expenditure. Just to bring growth in public spending to 0.7% in 2011, the current government had to reform pensions, act on Medicare and not to replace staff on two retiring.

Thursday, Francois Hollande suggested avenues for savings: lower prices and consumption of drugs, focus on health prevention, cuts in aid to enterprises, decentralization. Displaying its objective of stabilizing the size of the public, he admitted that there would be job cuts in all departments except Education, Justice and Home Affairs. "The salary policy will be serious," said Michel Sapin, program officer of the applicant, being careful not to promise any pay rise. And state transfers to local (one hundred billion a year) "will not progress." Not to mention that if economic growth is not at the rendezvous, the scheme collapses. Michel Sapin no plans yet not to intensify efforts in this case: "A real spending cuts could destabilize the economy," he retorts.

Advocating a greater effort, Nicolas Sarkozy announced the continuation of "one in two." The UMP also wants to cut $ 2 billion per year transfers to communities. Magnitude of the cuts, selected sectors: these options are politically divisive. But in a camp like in the other, the information disclosed so far are not enough.

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Google better understand the issues of Internet

 

The Wall Street Journal, Google will soon be able to understand the meaning of the words searched by the user and to provide "direct responses", in addition to the traditional ties linking to other websites. These responses, semantic analysis results, will be displayed directly below the search form, as is already the case during a search on the term "weather" for example.

With Answers service, closed in 2006, Google had already tried to semantic analysis by the only means then available: human responses. People were then paid to answer questions from users. Today, the issues will be analyzed directly by algorithms. To recognize the user's request, Google will index all the information available online, relevant to the topic, rather than just keywords. The Wall Street Journal takes the example of a search for "Lake Tahoe" that will display directly the characteristics of the lake at the top of the results. If the user wishes to know the ten largest lakes in California, Google will display the list of lakes in addition to simple links.

Keep users on Google

By posting relevant content directly on the results page, Google users will no longer need to visit the pages indexed. Specialized site for The Verge, "provide direct answers instead of links to other pages to meet the new Google strategy, which seeks to keep its users within its walls, as it does with Google + quick payday loans." Google's interest is to increase the visibility of ads by keywords on the pages of results. This activity represents "the majority of $ 37 billion in annual revenues of Google," says the Wall Street Journal.

This innovation features reminiscent of Wolfram Alpha, a search engine capable of aggregating and format of information available elsewhere on the Internet. Wolfram Alpha is at the heart of the wizard voice of the iPhone 4S, Siri, who can ask a question to his mobile and get an answer directly, without needing to click a link or to seek self- same information on a web page. To do this, the software combines speech recognition and semantic analysis to recognize the words of the user and the meaning of his question. Recently, Anthony DiClemente, chief of the division of Internet and media research at Barclays Capital was concerned about the impact of the Apple software on Google: "Siri can bypass traditional search engines and provide the user with responses that originally would have necessitated a search online. "

Google could also put this new feature to good use in Android mobile. According to TechCrunch, Google is preparing to launch in fact a competitor of Siri for Android, Google wizard.

French universities abroad misclassified

 

France is hardly served in international rankings in education. Only four of its representatives are emerging among the 100 institutions classified Thursday morning by the Times Higher Education (THE), a British weekly known for the seriousness of its rankings. France ranks as the seventh largest in the world.

The Paris-Sorbonne University is located between 71st and 80th place of the second international league based on "reputation". It occupied the 91st place last year. Then comes the Polytechnic, which ranks between 91st and 100th place. This year, two new institutions enter the prestigious list: the University Paris-Sud (Orsay) and the University Pierre and Marie Curie (Paris VI), both beyond the 91st place.

"France is well represented in these tables, with four institutions in the top 100, more than Canada, and more than double the number of representatives of China. But the country's authorities should be concerned that such a system of higher education with a long tradition of excellence has its highest ranked institution beyond the 71st, well behind the leading institutions in England and Germany "by Phil Baty, the head of the ranking. And the specialist to wonder: "Maybe the current reforms in the French higher education will they do the difference in the longer term, but for now there is much uncertainty and confusion about the French system, which can affect the country's reputation among scholars throughout the world. "

A "business" full

The study measures the reputation of excellence in both teaching and in research by 117,554 educators from 137 countries. Given a choice between 6000 and institutions were asked what were the best institutions in their field of specialty. The issue of reputation is important in the era of the internationalization of education, as universities compete with each other to attract the best students. And they are buying more and more a "brand" when they enroll in an institution. It has become a "business" in its own right, according to THE.

The first six of the classification, called "super brands" in the study because they crush all others because of their notoriety, are again American universities Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the English university of Cambridge, two new American, Stanford and Berkeley, and Oxford. These universities' dominate the head and shoulders above the other institutions, "the study said.

The U.S. dominates with 44 institutions which are among the first hundred, ten are British, and five are Japanese. Five others were Dutch. Followed by Germany, Australia and France, each with four institutions.

Sarkozy addresses the tax exiles

 

After struggling against tax havens in recent years, Nicolas Sarkozy wants to tackle the tax exile. -Candidate for President, it is not acceptable that some continue to enjoy the benefits of French citizenship without paying a penny in taxes. "I want the tax and nationality are now linked," he said on TF1 Monday. The announcement is accurate. "Any tax exile who went abroad for the sole purpose of circumventing French tax must declare to the French administration as he paid tax abroad. And if it is lower than it would have paid tax on income from capital in France, he will pay the difference, "said Nicolas Sarkozy.

Only the taxation of wealth is concerned. But it is precisely to escape the ISF or the taxation of capital gains that some taxpayers go to Switzerland or Belgium. With this measure, the tax exile would have no financial interest. And if the tax exile showed himself recalcitrant? "If he does not pay, he is pursued by the taxman. However, if he wants to escape measurement, it is of course free to take another nationality, "said Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet Monday, the spokesman of the president candidate. There is no question of deprivation of nationality. This type of penalty is very heavy and could be incompatible with European law.

The 2 million French expatriates, those who move abroad for work or for family reasons, for example, would not be affected by the measure. "I say to expatriates, we will change nothing for them," said Nicolas Sarkozy. They therefore continue to pay tax only in the country where they live. French household working in Germany would pay, as now, the German income tax. Yet to translate into law the difference between the expatriate and exiled, leaving the Hexagon for purely fiscal.

Monday, Nicolas Sarkozy referred to the American system. Indeed, the U.S. tax bind and nationality, even more extensive than would be France if Nicolas Sarkozy was elected. For all American expatriates should pay taxes to their homeland! But the U.S. is an exception in developed countries. European states like France operate on the principle of territoriality – you pay tax where you live. This means that the measure proposed by Nicolas Sarkozy, even if limited to exiles, may involve review of the tax treaties signed between France and its partners. A very heavy work. This is also the argument that had been opposed to the president of the PS Finance Committee in the Assembly, Jerome Cahuzac, late 2010 when he proposed a tax on expatriates. It will also calibrate the measure to be compatible with European law which advocates the free movement of persons and equality before tax.

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