French national frequencies agency ANFR has authorized 16,694 cell sites for LTE as of August 1, 4.1 percent more than a month earlier, and Orange France and Bouygues Telecom now have the same number of authorizations, reported Telecompaper.com on Aug 6, 2014. ANFR states that the number of authorizations for the 800 MHz band rose by 8 percent in one month to 8,306. Authorizations for the 1,800 MHz band increased by 0.7 percent to 6,611, and those for the 2.6 GHz band were up by 5.5 percent to 10,398. Six departments accounted for 25 percent of the total volume of new LTE authorizations, namely Bouches-du-Rhone, Nord (about 10 percent combined), Var, Yvelines, Val-d\'Oise and Pas-de-Calais.