(Telecompaper) Phoenix Tower International, a mobile infrastructure company backed by Blackstone, has signed a deal with French operator Bouygues Telecom to form a joint venture that will invest in around 4,000 new mobile towers over a 12-year period. The sites will be located outside very densely populated areas of France and will help Bouygues meet its mobile coverage objectives linked to the 'New Deal' programme, agreed between French operators and the government in early 2018.