Siemens has set aside 300m euros to pay for the redundancies which will come in its fixed-line telephone unit.

BBC: Siemens to cut 6,500 more jobs

Fewer than one in 250 people have access to a fixed-line telephone.

BBC: African telecoms sales on hold

The Paris-based group has 34 million fixed-line telephone subscribers in France.

CNN: Telecom operators: France Telecom

And polling, done by fixed-line telephone, under-represents young people.

ECONOMIST: France's presidential election

The new measures now formally require anyone signing agreements to access the internet, fixed-line telephone and mobile devices to provide network service operators with "genuine identification information", known as real-name registration, Xinhua reports.

BBC: China approves tighter rules on internet access

In its last results, Virgin said it had three million users of its television services, 3.4 million broadband customers, 4.5 million subscribers to its mobile phone service and 4.1 million fixed-line telephone customers.

BBC: NEWS | Business | Virgin Media 'name change plan'

The old fixed-line telephone companies should be trembling.

ECONOMIST: Telecommunications

In fixed-line telecoms, for example, the report shows how the state-owned Telephone Organisation of Thailand and Communications Authority of Thailand have exploited their double role as regulators and operators to the detriment of competition.

ECONOMIST: Give it a chance

Ostergaard demonstrated how a user can dial a telephone number from the keypad of a Palm and connect a cordless headset to a regular fixed-line desk phone.

CNN: Sci-Tech - Norwood demos Bluetooth office network