Mobile phones in France

whiteoaks7

whiteoaks7

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Joined
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Messages
570
Location
South Wales, UK
www.seasolutions.co.uk
I need a mobile phone in france - anyone have a view on the best and worst providers? I need (a) a phone service, (b) GPRS, (c) internet access (via the GPRS) (d) preferably - a SIM card solution rather than buying a new phone. All this is provided in UK for me by Orange, but the local Orange rep tells me it will be expensive to use my mobile outside the UK for GPRS accesses.

Forgive me if you've heard this question before but a search shows up only two-year old solutions.
 
France is difficult as all cost the same!If you want a years abo then there are differences but not in the price only for what you want the phone for,sms calls calls to specific numbers in France.

Vergin tele2 and supermarkets all have offers,which cost more than SFR or FT but its made very hard to guess the real cost

The most "transparent"? site is SFR as the others if you prder online you dont pay the 30€ shop fee,but try to fing the FTelecom offer!!If you find it try to activate it!!!!

I used French telecom tele2 and SFR which is the "best" that is reception everywhere easy to recharge transparent online,you can buy cards on ebay with some credit but you wont save much if anything in reality

France is expensive you MUST recharge with 20€pm or 15€but thats only good for two weeks then lost

If you use sms take a swiss card with 59 free sms pm for 15€(20sfr)per year internet an Italian card getting calls roaming estonian card for old fashoned calls and chat SFR
 
A few jottings . .
http://mobilesociety.typepad.com/mobile_life/2007/08/incredible-fran.html
Martin Sauter - the author and a bit of an expert - sent me an email in response to my similar enquiry to yours . . .
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". . . you are not the first one who has fallen into the data roaming trap. Vodafone doesn't seem to be an exception, most other wireless operators are equially ambiguous about their hyper expensive roaming tariffs. Good question why it is so difficult to find relevant information on their web pages. Most of them are so bad that they must almost do it on purpose...

Regarding your question concerning SFR: I don't have their current data prices in front of me but the prices of their competition in France are surely not any better. The problem of SFR compared to Orange is the fact that they do not have EDGE, the GPRS turbo, in their network. This means that in case you travel to a location where SFRs UMTS network is not available you are stuck with a very very slow Internet connection. Orange is better in this regard since they have EDGE almost everywhere so Internet access remains usable in non UMTS areas. Bouygues have just started their UMTS network in Paris and maybe a few other cities and only have EDGE elsewhere. . . . "
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We're using SFR PAYG at the moment, just 'cos it happened to be easier at the time. When we start using GPRS in earnest in the Spring we'll switch to Orange SIM in our Options card.
http://www.option.com/products/globetrotter_fusionhsdpa.shtml

But - snag - you can't get an Orange data SIM unless you have a contract, and you (effectively) need a French bank account to get a contract. (This is approximate). So using the Mobicarte might suit you. ?

The whole subject is just far too complicated! - although in the main the technology works well. But it is a minefield of potentially expensive charges . . .
 
Orange will accept your visa card in place of a bank.

Call client service or go to a PROPER orange outlet SFR do the same but have no proper outlets only agents.For them you will have to do battle with client service which is service only in name!

Orange WANT your money to others wait for it!!!
 
My experience is that Orange is the best in France in terms of coverage, good GPRS Edge services and prices. You can get a 40mb a month contract for 10eu (on top of your normal contract) or an unlimited volume for 65eu. However, the customer service of Orange is hopeless so you need a lot of patience if you have any sort of problems with them.
 
Seems like Orange might have the Edge /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif over the others . . .
Whilst having no reason to doubt M. Trouville (respect!), I am surprised that a supplier wanting a year's contract with monthly payments from an account would accept a credit card as a substitute.
C'est vrai?
Or maybe we're at slightly crossed purposes - I'm referring to a specific data enabled SIM contract, not any other, including PAYG.
This is a tricky and rather unclear area and all opinion and experience is greatly to be valued.
 
I gave a French address perhaps thats why??But they do take visa,no doubt they have ways of getting their money

Though when i use the vhf phone in France in the early 90s and dident pay my bill which came to my French port address they were shocked to find i wasent resident!!!

Just try, the agents want to sell you a contract you want to pay???!!! You will be in a port?? I dont see a problem? If you stop paying and give up your visa they will just list you,but still give you a new contract a few years later!!

They want the money and this is France!!! Not the UK

I dident read the first post propely!!He wants internet!!Indeed expensive??and yes 69€pm---to start with! Ill look again at FTs web site later

I might be back in France later during the week.I will look in at a French Telecom shop and ask!!In general they take visa untill you volunteer a bank account

To open a bank account! In France very difficult to impossiable!Unless you chose a better bank!DONT go to credit agricol or the post!!!Impossiable depends where you are as to which bank!
 
I know it is frowned upon but I use my PDA T Mobile Ameo phone and computer for tinternet where I can by finding a wireless connection just to check emails...or pay 8 euros for 6 till 6 usage in a hotel reception area with wirless laptop for extra long surfing, then if you use skype for contacting the UK or friends anywhere this reduces the cost...where a big expense comes in when someone rings you or you get a missed call to your mobile, I tend to limit calls to uk as much as possible and use pay phones for local calls in France where possible, I am going to check out when we go over late march the price of sim for my spare phone for local calls.

Wishbone
 
I had a look at the orange site,apart from saying that by subscribing now you get the basic 3G for half price (12€ instead of 24€)its very unclear!!!

I think they refer to "orange world" which is nothing to do with surfing or logging on hear for example,that would be extra

Ive copied there page which says "contact their client service"Its realy best to go along to an Orange center and tell them what you want.In the past you could sign up with your port address and pay via Visa for exampl

15, Quai Petit Rang
Boat name
83000 Toulon

They want your money!!! For 62€PM they offer 1 giga per month plus 1€per meg after to use at any time
For 32€ pm they offer accsses evening and weekend max 500meg then extra

Hears there basic page:

qu'est-ce que c'est ?
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