Estelle Rigal-Alexandre

Estelle practices primarily in business law, commercial contracts, and industry-specific regulatory matters. Truly passionate about network infrastructure, she routinely advises and represents clients in the telecommunications, energy, and transport industries.

She assists French and international corporations, professional associations, local authorities, and public sector actors on their day-to-day operations in areas such as antitrust issues, state aid, distribution law, commercial policies, and compliance programs with respect to competition law and European and French regulations.

In the telecommunications industry, Estelle has been providing comprehensive and cross-cutting support to operators and data centers for over 15 years on strategic matters such as:

• negotiation of French and international contracts: fixed and mobile interconnection, IRUs (Indefeasible Rights of Use), access to civil engineering infrastructure, submarine cables, private 5G, hosting, concession or works procurement contracts, FIDIC-based construction projects, subcontracting, resale of services, agreements with OTT service providers, B2C contracts (e.g., GTS, GTU, ODR FttH), lease agreement and relations with landlords, as well as implementation of power supply and HVAC maintenance contracts;

• industry-specific regulations: market analysis, dispute resolution and enforcement proceedings, implementation of regulatory developments, advice to regulators, in particular in Africa, as well as implementation of EU directives and regulatory obligations (cybersecurity, AI), etc.;

• competition: antitrust proceedings before the French Competition Authority, investigations by the European Commission, merger control filings, audits and compliance programs, private enforcement (stand-alone and follow-on antitrust damages actions), and unfair competition matters;

• commercial litigation at all stages, from pre-litigation to enforcement: damages for abrupt termination of established business relationships, premium rate number fraud, unpaid debts, non-performance of contractual obligations, etc.

Estelle assists telecommunications industry players of all sizes (including data centers, operators, local authorities in her capacity as legal advisor to project owners, and OTT service providers).

She also advises clients operating in the energy sector as well as industrial companies and groups on contractual and regulatory matters, in particular at the European level, and assists them in their dealings with administrative authorities (implementation of French and European regulations, investigations by the French Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF), etc.).

Estelle speaks her clients’ language, with the ability to engage with the technical aspects of their operations to deliver pragmatic, business-oriented legal advice

Representative Matters

Telecoms & Data Centers

• Advised a telecom operator in connection with the acquisition of a public electronic communications network, covering request for expressions of interest, due diligence, negotiation of the promise of sale and acquisition agreement, transfer agreement and post-acquisition relations, implementation of wholesale offers (duct leasing, dark fiber leasing and leased lines), dealings with civil engineering stakeholders, resumption of network operations and implementation of retail offers (ISPs) and wholesale offers (IRUs, hosting, spectrum sharing, etc.)
• Negotiated technical and pricing conditions for access to submarine cables and their landing stations
• Negotiated technical and pricing conditions of Full and Light MVNO agreements with MNOs
• Advised and represented clients in dispute resolution and sanction proceedings before ARCEP (French Electronic Communications, Postal and Print Media Distribution Regulatory Authority) concerning access to civil engineering infrastructure, premium rate number tariffs, and margin regulation under regulated tariffs
• Represented operators in litigation concerning the performance of access or interconnection contracts, penalties for contractual breaches, and disputed service payments.
• Negotiated construction, leasing, and fit-out projects for telecom rooms and data center facilities

Competition & Antitrust

• Represented companies before the French Competition Authority in proceedings resulting in sanctions against a dominant company in the video game industry for abuse of dominance, against telecommunications operators for abuse of dominance, and against travel and transport industry players for anticompetitive collusion
• Represented a public entity with a dominant position in the service industry in commitments proceedings before the French Competition Authority
• Advised a consortium of public entities on the creation of a joint structure for the provision of services
• Advised a professional association in connection with the collection and sharing of sensitive data from member companies, and the design and implementation of an internal policy compliant with competition law
• Assisted music industry players in a Phase II merger control investigation before the European Commission
• Assisted clients in the construction, tourism, telecom, audiovisual and agrifood industries in merger control notifications before the French Competition Authority (Phase I and Phase II reviews)
• Represented a video game company in a European Commission investigation into practices alleged to be contrary to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
• Acted in follow-on and stand-alone antitrust damages actions across various industries, such as telecoms, travel, and services
• Secured the recognition of intellectual property rights as essential facilities before the civil courts, as a defense in an infringement action concerning those rights

Contracts

• Drafted contracts for the construction and operation of data centers and cloud services
• Drafted and negotiated import and distribution agreements, including assistance with annual negotiations
• Drafted contractual documentation for the implementation of photovoltaic projects
• Provided legal guidance on the performance of FIDIC contracts in industrial projects
• Drafted and negotiated partnership agreements, subcontracting agreements, and general terms of sale for companies operating in the retail, telecom, cosmetic, agrifood and construction industries

Regulatory

• Advised companies on the implementation of evolving regulatory requirements (cybersecurity, AI, blockchain, etc.)
• Assisted a pet food and care products manufacturer in an investigation by the DGCCRF
• Advised a manufacturer of household goods on the market launch of an innovative product in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements

Background

• Bunch, Founding Partner, Competition & Telecoms Department, 2022-2025
• LexCase Paris, Competition, Commercial & Telecoms Department, Counsel, 2009-2022
• Bird & Bird Paris, Competition & Telecoms Department, Associate, 2007-2009

Main Publications

• Blockchain 2025 Guide, France Chapter, Chambers and Partners
• Guide to Edged Data Centers, InfraNum, Contributor, 2025 (to be released)
• Contrat – Validité et mise en œuvre d’une clause pénale dans le secteur des communications électroniques, La Semaine Juridique – Entreprise et affaires (JCP E), No. 17, 2015, 1206, co-authored with Hubert Mortemard de Boisse

Professional Associations

• InfraNum (French Professional Association for Digital Infrastructure)
• International Bar Association
• French Association of Business Lawyers (Avocats Conseils d’Entreprises (ACE))

Education

• French Bar Exam (CAPA), 2008
• Postgraduate Master’s Degree in Space and Telecommunications Law, University Paris XI, 2006
• Postgraduate Master’s Degree in Business Law, University Paris XI, 2005

Languages

• French
• English