There are a range of services you can choose to have active on your line. Some are free and others are charged per month.
Free Options:
Landline Calling Features (charged at 1€/month)
* Only one of these options can be selected.
Getting your Directory Entry Right
When you have your new line installed or if you are taking over an existing one you will be asked by your provider if you want to be in the directory or ex directory.
France produces two new telephone directories annually. Pages Jaunes (Yellow Pages) is the directory for businesses whilst Pages Blanches (White Pages) is the directory for private numbers. These are issued by the La Poste (Post Office) and in most regions they will be delivered to your door. You will see that the directories are organised by town or village names, so you first need to look for the appropriate town and then look up the service or person you require.
There is also an online directory, again arrange in the same colours but within the same site. This is very helpful for second home owners who might want to arrange services whilst out of the country, ready for their return.
The link to the directory is: http://www.pagesjaunes.fr/pagesblanches?portail=PJ
If for any reason you have a business or private number and wish to find out the address associated with it the same web site has a ‘reverse directory. The link is:
http://www.pagesjaunes.fr/pagesblanches/aquiestcenumero.do?portail=PJ
Using the tab at the top of the home page is ‘à qui est ce numéro’ is another way to access the reverse directory.
Most requirements are to have an existing telephone line already connected to a property transferred to the new owner. This is reasonably quick to achieve if the line has been active within the last two years, you are able to let your provider know the name of the previous subscriber or the telephone number. This is sufficient information for the line to be reactivated remotely and the cost is 55€. However if this information is not available and France Telecom cannot identify the details from their own records, or if the line has been out of service for more than two years an engineer will have to attend the property. The charge will go up to 125€. If additional work is required before the engineer can connect the property to the service an estimate will be provided. It is normal practice for France Telecom to provide the new user of the service with a new telephone number.
If there has never been a line at the property a survey will be undertaken and the cost might be high. This is particularly true if a new pole has to be installed due to the distance between the existing services and the property. The process can also be frustrated if France Telecom cannot obtain permission to erect a pole on someone’s land and this is required for the service to be provided. Under these circumstances you will have little choice but to use a combined satellite broadband and calls service.
One further point to remember is that France Telecom’s installation requires you as the owner at your own expense to dig a trench from the boundary to the outside wall of your property to run the cable underground, if that is the route, or to ensure that there are no trees or other barriers that would affect the installation of a line overhead. France Telecom will only install the first internal telephone socket under the contract. Whilst they will install additional sockets most people choose to employ a local electrician to do this as they are cheaper or alternatively do the work themselves.
You can order your new line directly from France Telecom, or from one of several alternative providers. The local France Telecom shop will make the arrangements or you can use their English speaking help line if your French is not so good. France Telecom will ask if you are the owner of the property or if you are renting it.