Getting connected with a phone line is absolutely essential these days. Even if the most important thing is getting an internet connection! We have helped lots of people do just that.

Note: France Telecom is now known as "Orange". They handle phone lines and broadband internet connections.

Even though the telecom industry in France has be de-regularised, we only reccommend using Orange. The reason for this is that if there is any problem at all with your line, then trouble shooting it between two telecom providers can become an absolute nightmare.

You will need to provide a copy of your passport, a RIB and some other proof that you have the right to request a phone line. This can be a copy of your lease or letter from your landlord or a utility bill in your name.

Call Orange on 1014 for private residences and 1016 if it will be a business premises. It will be useful if youknow the telephone number of the previous tenant.

You can request at tha same time the creation of your ADSL line so that you can have broadband internet. In this area the maximum debit is 18mb. There are plans to increase this to 100mb very shortly.

For most people we reccommend taking the Orange standard ADSL modem wghich is called "Livebox". This is usually rented from Orange for around €2.50 a month. It will also allow you to make Free calls to European land lines.