France Telecom has been stung by the threat of liberalization into slashing its call rates and offering new kinds of subscriptions. It will cut national call rates by 17.5% on March 4 and a further 21% in October 1997, bringing standard call rates to 22 cents per minute by end-1997. International rates will be cut by 20% in March, putting all European countries at less than 50 cents per minute and North America at less than 60 cents; the monthly line rental goes up to $13.60 a month, a rise of $3.40 but the monopoly reckons this is still one of the lowest rates in Europe.
