The main telecomms provider in France is France Telecom. They will arrange your telephone connection, plus the cabling, line and rental (cost is normally about 14.50 Euros a month).

To get connected, take proof of I.D and address to your nearest France Telecom office. In general, you are likely to be given a brand new telephone number rather than keep that of the previous resident. To have a new phone line installed usually costs around 46 Euros, plus the cost of the engineer who comes to fit the line outside of your house, connecting you up to the nearest junction box. It is advisable to get a quote for this work first, especially if you are moving to a remote area, as you may be some distance from the nearest junction point.

If you are bringing your own telephones from overseas, you will need adaptors to use them in France. It may be easier and cheaper in the longer term to buy French telephones and equipment.

Call costs - there are many suppliers offering cheap calls and various packages. When comparing these, think about who you call most, what time of day, landline or mobile and so on, so that you get the best deal for you.

Note about French telephone numbers - these are written and spoken two numbers at a time, usually as the full number, so for example:

The number 25 25 25 (two-five-two-five-two-five) would be spoken as twenty-five, twenty-five, twenty-five.