Internet Providers
Discussion
There's been a few threads on this over the years, but as the telecoms market changes so quickly, I thought I'd ask about the current set up.
Wife and I are heading to Nice in about two weeks and need to get internet set up in our apartment.
There has been an internet/telephone connection there before, so it should just be a case of getting it set up again.
I understand we are best to deal with Orange (formerly France Telecom).
Can someone tell me how quickly I can get the internet set up, and if there are likely to be any hurdles to overcome (for example, do I need a french bank account, and does this take two weeks while the internet takes one day, that sort of thing)?
Secondly, can I apply for the service prior to arriving there, or would I end up bashing my head against a brick wall?
I'd appreciate if anyone can give me advice on this.
Thanks in advance!
Wife and I are heading to Nice in about two weeks and need to get internet set up in our apartment.
There has been an internet/telephone connection there before, so it should just be a case of getting it set up again.
I understand we are best to deal with Orange (formerly France Telecom).
Can someone tell me how quickly I can get the internet set up, and if there are likely to be any hurdles to overcome (for example, do I need a french bank account, and does this take two weeks while the internet takes one day, that sort of thing)?
Secondly, can I apply for the service prior to arriving there, or would I end up bashing my head against a brick wall?
I'd appreciate if anyone can give me advice on this.
Thanks in advance!
I can't speak for the installation times these days, but knowing France I wouldn't count on instant service. They managed to transfer my line to someone else for a few days and casually said it was an "understandable" mix-up and refused any compensation. You'll certainly need a French bank account and usually a utilities bill etc. as proof of identity and address.
You can also speak to someone in English, on Monday, by using this number 0033 969 36 39 00 Be prepared for a wait getting through.
France Telecom seem pretty efficient. If yours is a holiday home you can call them and easily suspend the services when you are absent.
A French bank account will be non-negotiable, that can be done easily by using https://www.britline.com from Credit Agricole.
France Telecom seem pretty efficient. If yours is a holiday home you can call them and easily suspend the services when you are absent.
A French bank account will be non-negotiable, that can be done easily by using https://www.britline.com from Credit Agricole.
Fatt McMissile said:
Driller said:
I'm with Free, €30/month free international calls included. Very reliable.
I'll second that. Don't forget the included sim card that gives you 60 minutes/month French calls, and further sim cards at 2€ each!Steve
Orange/France Telecom is a total ripoff, I use them for work and am thinking of changing to Free.
My iPhone 5s cost me € 350 with an Orange payment plan. My sister in the UK says Orange give you the phone for free!
Another advantage with Free is you are not bound into a contract and can cancel at any time if you want to.
If it's a holiday home,with Orange you can switch you line off by contacting them so only pay for the months you have it turned on.A friend did this in Ariege and didn't have to many too problems,although it wasn't always plain sailing.
If it's a holiday home,with Orange you can switch you line off by contacting them so only pay for the months you have it turned on.A friend did this in Ariege and didn't have to many too problems,although it wasn't always plain sailing.
Free mobile have been utter, utter crap for me. Yes, they're cheap, and it's good to not be in a contract, but the signal is shockingly bad, even in areas where you'd expect it to be good. Even on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, it was switching from full signal to no signal every few seconds, which I suppose is an improvement from it's usual no signal whatsoever status.
When you do have signal, the internet speed is incredibly slow on 3G, and the 4G coverage doesn't seem half as good as Orange.
I'm leaving France in a few months so I'm just going to put up with it, but if I was staying here full time I'd definitely have switched to one of the more expensive providers as it definitely seems that you get what you pay for.
When you do have signal, the internet speed is incredibly slow on 3G, and the 4G coverage doesn't seem half as good as Orange.
I'm leaving France in a few months so I'm just going to put up with it, but if I was staying here full time I'd definitely have switched to one of the more expensive providers as it definitely seems that you get what you pay for.
Free are a relatively new player in the mobile market and have been installing aerials at a fair old rate. Before Free arrived on the scene French mobile charges were a joke, despite the Bouygues/Orange/SFR cartel being fined millions by the government for price collaboration.
They do have aerials on the bay and inland at Nice, but currently far fewer than the established players. Given the others need so many aerials to service the town, I wonder if is a capacity problem rather than signal strength? I don't know if that's how it works - I'm only guessing - but I have noticed that at home I often get an "emergency service only" notification throughout weekends, on both Free and Orange.
Many of us permanent Brits have twin sim phones, I have Free and Asda (EE which defaults to Orange in France) but I don't do data, most of our usage revolves around finding each other in the supermarket and texts to our kids......
There are maps of the aerials in France here http://www.antennesmobiles.fr/
Personally I find the coverage pretty good considering the size of the country, and am as often disappointed in the UK as I am in France.
The OP asked about ISP's of course, and we have had no problems with that service, the first 60min/month sim card comes included at no charge with that service and extra ones are 2 euros/month, so for light users like us it was a no-brainer.
Steve
They do have aerials on the bay and inland at Nice, but currently far fewer than the established players. Given the others need so many aerials to service the town, I wonder if is a capacity problem rather than signal strength? I don't know if that's how it works - I'm only guessing - but I have noticed that at home I often get an "emergency service only" notification throughout weekends, on both Free and Orange.
Many of us permanent Brits have twin sim phones, I have Free and Asda (EE which defaults to Orange in France) but I don't do data, most of our usage revolves around finding each other in the supermarket and texts to our kids......
There are maps of the aerials in France here http://www.antennesmobiles.fr/
Personally I find the coverage pretty good considering the size of the country, and am as often disappointed in the UK as I am in France.
The OP asked about ISP's of course, and we have had no problems with that service, the first 60min/month sim card comes included at no charge with that service and extra ones are 2 euros/month, so for light users like us it was a no-brainer.
Steve
I thought I'd post an update on how we got on with our efforts to set ourselves up with internet and telephone in Nice.
We tried to set up a bank account, but most banks weren't interested, on the basis that "most British people only set up bank accounts to pay for telephones and internet, etc" (not sure where they got that idea!) and it wasn't worth their time and paperwork to set up and manage the accounts.
We talked to Orange and they told us we could have a no-commitment unlimited internet and telephone package with calls to 101 countries throughout the world for 40 Euros per month. No bank account was needed, so we got that set up.
They told us a week to get the connection live, it went live within 2 days.
With regards to the telephone calls to different countries, my wife had a problem calling relations in Asia, so we reported this to Orange. I thought it was probably a problem with the number my wife was dialling, but apparently not. Orange did something and the problem was fixed. They then refunded us 40 Euros for the inconvenience!
All in all, very happy with Orange and the service provided, I'd wholeheartedly recommend them.
We tried to set up a bank account, but most banks weren't interested, on the basis that "most British people only set up bank accounts to pay for telephones and internet, etc" (not sure where they got that idea!) and it wasn't worth their time and paperwork to set up and manage the accounts.
We talked to Orange and they told us we could have a no-commitment unlimited internet and telephone package with calls to 101 countries throughout the world for 40 Euros per month. No bank account was needed, so we got that set up.
They told us a week to get the connection live, it went live within 2 days.
With regards to the telephone calls to different countries, my wife had a problem calling relations in Asia, so we reported this to Orange. I thought it was probably a problem with the number my wife was dialling, but apparently not. Orange did something and the problem was fixed. They then refunded us 40 Euros for the inconvenience!
All in all, very happy with Orange and the service provided, I'd wholeheartedly recommend them.
Yes - we went in to the local Orange store and explained our situation. They gave us all we needed to get set up and told us we would be live within 6 days.
We paid an amount there and then - I think it was around 49 Euros - and were surprised to go live within 2 days. The package we have is Livebox Play + TV, and includes a landline package.
They send us bills monthly by both post and email. We have now set up a direct debit, but we could pay with a credit card if we wanted.
The banks were very reluctant to open an account for us, apparently because a lot of expats just use the account for paying utilities, and the throughput doesn't make it worth their while. Most didn't even talk to us, but Barclays were happy to set an account up for us.
We paid an amount there and then - I think it was around 49 Euros - and were surprised to go live within 2 days. The package we have is Livebox Play + TV, and includes a landline package.
They send us bills monthly by both post and email. We have now set up a direct debit, but we could pay with a credit card if we wanted.
The banks were very reluctant to open an account for us, apparently because a lot of expats just use the account for paying utilities, and the throughput doesn't make it worth their while. Most didn't even talk to us, but Barclays were happy to set an account up for us.
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