Tag: Mobile Phone Subscription

Telecommunications in France

Posted on by Juliette

Getting set up in terms of telecommunications is probably one of the first things you should take care of. I remember, on my second day in Toulouse, I marched all the way to an Orange shop by Esquirol and purchased a SIM card & internet box. Why Orange? Because I used them in London and was happy with their services. They also had an English-speaking hotline.

This article is a first approah about telecommuncations in France. For more info :

Do you need a landline for the internet in France?

Like in most countries, yes, you do. Your provider will give you a landline, but whether you choose to connect a phone is up to you. Most French people use mobile phones, landlines are only more popular with the older age demographic.

How much does the internet cost per month in France?

It depends which provider you choose and plans usually range from 15€ to 50€.

Check out our article on Internet Subscriptions, we cover everything you need to know.

How fast is the internet in France?

Pretty decent! Most places have fiber, you can check your (future) address here or here

Which mobile network is the best in France?

In France, there are multiple providers. You have likely already come across Orange, SFR, Bouygues and Free, but you’ve probably also seen advertising for other providers like RED and Sosh. We wrote an article on Mobile Phone Subscriptions in France, have a look!

What are the main French networks?

  • Orange is the main network with customer service advisors and physical locations → Sosh operates on the Orange network, but is online-based only and you manage everything from an online portal
  • SFR is the main network with customer service advisors and physical locations → RED operates on the SFR network, but is online-based only and you manage everything from an online portal
  • Bouygues is the main network with customer service advisors and physical locations → B&YOU operates on the Bouygues network, but is online-based only and you manage everything from an online portal

Traditional providers offer full contracts, usually including television and a personal customer service. The savvy user will probably want to go with a subsidiary as it’s much cheaper. The only downside is that you’ll need to chat with an advisor rather than to speak with one.

Mobile Phone Subscriptions In France

Posted on by Juliette

Choosing the mobile phone subscription

Here’s a quick checklist to help you choose the right mobile phone subscription plan in France:

  • Do you need a phone or just a SIM card?
  • How much data do you need?
  • Where will you be calling?
  • What’s your budget?

Depending on your criteria, you can feed those filters into any mobile contract provider. Once you see the results, you can make a comparison and go with what suits you best. There are hundreds of different offers available and they change regularly, so if you don’t like what you get (and you have a “sans engagement” plan) you can easily switch back and forth).

I recommend heading to one of the comparison sites using the info you have collected above. There are several to choose from, but I usually find mine by googling “meilleur forfait mobile” or “forfait mobil pas cher”. The top choices being touslesforfaits.fr,  lemon.fr, or selectra.info

Good to know:

In France, your mobile network can be different from your internet provider at home, so you don’t have to work with the same company if you don’t want to. Keep in mind that if you have a French bank account or plan to just pay as you go, there will be differences in the offers you can choose.

What to look for :

  1. “Sans engagement” – meaning you can cancel at any time
  2. “Prix fixe” – fixed price. A lot of offers increase after 12/24 months, look out for this!

The provider will usually send you a SIM card in the post and the contract begins on a date you decide – it’s quite easy. However, there may be an included cost for the SIM card (normally around 10€) so don’t forget to include that in your budget. If you take out your contract in person, they will give you the SIM at the store.

Good to know:

If you want to change your mobile phone provider while keeping your current number, you will need your RIO number (Relevé Identité Opérateur). You can find out yours by calling 3179 for free. It’s a 12-digit code including numbers and capital letters, so keep a pen handy! Sometimes they will send you an SMS at the same time, that’s A LOT easier. If you enter this number when signing up for a new contract (and if your original one is sans engagement), the new provider will automatically cancel the old contract for you.
Vive la France and its customer friendliness!