Traditional network generation models attempt to replicate global structural properties (degree distribution, average distance, clustering coefficient, communities, etc.) through synthetic link formation mechanisms such as triadic closure or preferential attachment. In this work, we study the evolution of a very big communication network coming from mobile telephony and we analyse the link formation process. A first study conducted on the standard mechanisms allows observing that several mechanisms are responsible for the properties observed in this network. In a second study, we characterize more precisely the link formation process by searching for correlations between the probability of creating a new link and some individual properties such as the degree, the clustering coefficient and the age of the nodes.