French telco Bouygues Telecom has filed at a Paris court, seeking €78 million ($78.3m).damages from Orange's wholesale division over poor service on its copper network.

Bouygues alleges that its customers have suffered service problems on its copper network (ADSL), which it leases from Orange, reports TeleGeography.

The company has hit out at Orange for not adequately maintaining its copper-based infrastructure, which has led to breakdowns and technical failures, according to Bouygues. Bouygues argues that these failures have damaged the brand's image.

Most telcos are moving away from copper networks, for the quicker fiber-optic networks, however, in France it's reported by Alloforfait that 1 in 2 consumers still use PSTN or ADSL connection lines.

Orange for its part is looking to gradually phase out its copper network, with plans to complete the network closure by the end of the decade.

Bouygues is the third oldest mobile network operator in France, joining the market after Orange and SFR.