IT landscape in France
Traditionnally, the French economy has been very centralized in Paris, with many companies having their headquarters in the capital. Information technology activity is no exception, but since the 70's, the city of Sophia-Antipolis on the French Riviera has attracted many new companies. The centralization remains also high in the telecom network architecture, as most of the infrastructure goes through the capital ans some remote departments suffer from low connection.
In the
recent years, Paris has become a hub of new technology, with companies
including portals (MultiMania, France Telecom's Wanadoo) and free email
services (Caramail). Hundreds of other Net-related startups have emerged,
and ecommerce and content sites are taking off. Fifty-two percent of French
venture capital is funneled directly into Paris. The term "Silicon Sentier",
the center of Paris where apparel confection was traditionally made, has
appeared to designated the new district of high tech start-ups.The suburb
of Evry has become a biotech hub: Both Genset and Aventis have major genomics
research centers here, and the first of five planned Génopôles
-commercial and academic biotech R&D parks - is based in Evry as well.
In the 60's,
the local and national governments launched a plan to create a technology
hub on the French Riviera. In the '70s, they set up a science park called
Sophia Antipolis in the hills outside of Nice, complete with universities
and scientific research institutes. Companies like NCR and Digital Equipment
came calling in the '80s. Now Sophia Antipolis is home to 300 IT companies
employing 9,000 people from more than 60 countries. An Internet startup
scene, while still small by Paris standards, is also emerging. But the
area's main strength lies in telecommunications: It's become a major center
for European telecom R&D, with both French (France Telecom) and foreign
(Philips, Ericsson) companies represented.
Grenoble occupies the first place
in Europe for micro-electronic research. The region has a strong university
tradition, which acts as a catalyst for co-operation between public sector
research establishments and engineering schools and companies. Grenoble
is hosting larges companies such as Bull, Hewlett-Packard, Thomson, Cap
Gemini, and small and medium-sized firms in software and silicon treatment.
Grenoble has also been designated to launch a future "Villa Medicis" of
multimedia to host authors of multimedia products and software.
Toulouse is the center of areospace
industry, hosting the Airbus industry, and Motorola. This cluster was created
with the delocalization of the CNES (National Center for Space Sciences)
and scientific universities.
Many cities claim the label of "technopole" to promote the development
of high tech activities through adapted services and infrastructure, such
as Metz, Nancy, Castres, Besancon, Amiens and the Rhone region. Amiens
has successfully attracted call centers activity by its location between
Paris and London and its access to high speed connections.