Xavier Niel is a French business anomaly. He is a self-made man who never attended one of those fancy grandes écoles that have traditionally groomed the country’s corporate and political elite.

That has not prevented him becoming one of France’s richest individuals by displaying a remarkable entrepreneurial flair. He first made a name for himself by offering adult entertainment services on the Minitel, a crude French forerunner of the internet. He then pioneered the idea of offering innovative packages of high speed internet, fixed-line phone and television services for less than €30 ($44) a month.