Phones

How to Get a Home Telephone

You must go to a France Telecom Agency (Tel: 10 14 or website “orange.fr”) in your neighborhood to have your telephone line installed. The installation costs will be on your first bill.

Your telephone bill will include:

  • Your monthly fee (a sum you pay regardless of the calls you make)
  • The costs of your calls, which depends on distance and time.

You can also opt for other telephone carriers that may propose lower fees than France Telecom, such as Free, Cegetel, 9 Telecom, Tele2, Viatel, Onetel, etc. Beware: some do not cover local calls for which you must have France Telecom as your local carrier.

How to obtain a cellular phone

In France, there are three main mobile phone providers: Orange (France Telecom), SFR and Bouygues Telecom. These providers offer different options, such as:

  • The purchase of a cellular phone operated by a card (on sale in telephone stores)
  • A twelve month to two year contract with a monthly fee for two, three or more hours of communication per month.

Choose the option that corresponds best to your needs. If you receive calls more than you telephone, buying a card operated cellular phone may be your best solution. If you make a lot of calls all over France, pay for a certain number of hours.

BEWARE: Pay attention to the different offers and get advice based upon your needs and habits. The flat fees only concern national calls. For international calls, consult the person who sells you the phone. For more information, see the various telephone boutiques in the large department stores, such as: FNAC, DARTY, CARREFOUR, CONTINENT. You can also visit the numerous specialized agencies, such as: the Phone House, France Telecom, Bouygues Telecom, etc.

Calling from a Telephone Booth

You can call from a public telephone booth provided you have a card (some use only coins). Telephone cards are available at post offices, tobacco shops and at certain merchants (bookstores and newspaper stands). Costs and access codes to call abroad are generally displayed inside the booth.

Calling abroad from France

  1. Dial 00 (no dial tone after) plus the country code. For international information: dial 00-33-12  plus the country code plus the number you want.

To call France from abroad

  1. Dial
  2. First the international access in your country.
  3. Then 33, and the last nine numbers of the number in France (do not dial the first 0, which is only used in France)

To call in France

  • Dial then the area code. France has five area codes:
    1 = Paris and Ile-de-France
    2 = Northwest
    3 = Northeast
    4 = Southeast
    5 = Southwest
  • Cellular phones always start with 06. Dial 33 then 6 when calling a French cellular phone number from abroad.
  • Calls generally cost less between 7:00PM and 8:00AM.