Doing Business In (Insert Country Name Here) - Department of ...

Computers and Peripherals (CPT)OverviewReturn to top2008 2009 2010*Total Market Size 17,050 16,368 16,859Total Local Production 10,239 9,829 10,723Total Exports 783 751 773Total Imports 7,594 7,290 7,508Imports from the U.S. 2,727 2,617 2,695Exchange rate: USD1.00 Euro 0.7 Euro 0.7 Euro 0.7(Figures in USD millions; * Estimated figures)Estimated at $160 billion in 2009, the French market for information and communicationtechnologies - which includes computer hardware/software, telecommunications andelectronic components – is growing at a rate of 5% per year. Telecommunicationsrepresent $78 billion of this market; computer hardware and software, $68 billion; andconsumer electronics, $1.3 billion.The computer & peripherals market dropped by 4% in 2008. The market is driven by thesale of consumer electronics, including smart phones, I-mode, 3G and PDAs. The levelof penetration in individual homes exceeds 50%.About 35 million French people - or 65% of the total population - can access the Internet,including 30 million through a high-speed connection from their home. Six householdsout of ten can now access the Internet. More than 43 million French also own asubscription to a mobile phone, which represents 70% of the total population. Thanks toHSDPA/3 and 4G technologies, 2009 has seen the advent of revolutionary tools that willenable phone users to surf the Internet faster and do on-line transactions as well aswatch TV from their telephone.The French public sector has greatly contributed to the boost in IT sales, as it currentlyrepresents 6% of total IT investments. Launched in January 1998, the GovernmentAction Program for an Information Society (PAGSI) is investing billions of dollars in theautomation of VAT declaration, customs declaration, the filing of social contributions byemployees. As a result, over 7 million French tax-payers – or 11% of the overallpopulation – filled out their income tax return on the Internet in 2007.France is perhaps more than any other country in Western Europe on the threshold ofthe new Internet and mobile revolution; it is accelerating rapidly as one of the top leadersin the new high technology era. The European Association for Competition inTelecommunications announced that France had become the largest broadband marketin Europe. Revenue from these high-speed subscriptions alone already exceeds $2billion annually. In France the overwhelmingly dominant mode of broadband connectionis ADSL, representing 94% of broadband connections and 97% of growth.2/18/2010 Country Commercial Guide for France 50INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT, U.S. & FOREIGN COMMERCIAL SERVICEAND U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, © 2010. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES.