Ultimate Guide

Transcription

Ultimate Guide

The English Speaker’s
Ultimate Guide
to the French Telecom Market
Your guide
to the French market,
making savings
& getting good
A must for
services
everyone with a
home, second home
or small business
in France
by
Bob Elliott
uk
your first choice for telecoms
© Copyright UK Telecom Limited
uk
No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, stored or transmitted in any
form or by any means save with the written permission of the publishers or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended).
the world is at your fingertips
line
installation
fully
managed
line
installation
+
line
rental
+
free
bilingual
support
= 40.00€
onebill
unlimited
calls
€
= 28.50
pm
Enquiries concerning reproduction should be sent to the publishers at the under
unlimited
broadband
with unlimited
technical
support
mentioned address:
+
1hr free voip
calls including
French & UK
mobiles
€
= 18.95
pm*^
onebill
special
UK Telecom Limited
William House
45 Bury Fields
Guildford
Surrey
Freephone 0805 631 632 from France
or +44 (0)1483 477 100 from the UK
www.uktelecom.net
[email protected]
*18.95€ pm for the first 3 months when you sign up to a 12 month contract, 29.50€ pm thereafter
or, 18.95€ pm for the first 6 months when you sign up to an 18 month contract, 29.50€ pm thereafter
^subject to taking line rental at 16.00 € pm
GU2 4AZ
t: 00 44 (0) 1483 477100
e: [email protected]
www.uktelecom.net
f: 00 44 (0) 3306840299
w: www.uktelecom.net
3
Table of contents
Foreword
07
Mission statement
11
Searching for information
13
1
Setting the scene
15
2
Getting a new line & choosing the options once installed
23
3
Free services & others that are chargeable
37
4
Alternative providers – getting the best price & service
43
5
What do I do if my telephone stops working?
57
6
Dial-up
63
7
Broadband – finding the right service for you
65
8
Setting up your PC on your new broadband service
81
9
What should I do if my broadband stops working?
87
10 When additional equipment helps & when it causes more problems
93
11 Social networking, making your broadband even more useful
99
12 Changing providers - avoid surprise costs by doing this correctly
101
13 Mobiles
105
14 Useful contacts
111
Appendix – Satellite Broadband frequently asked questions
115
www.uktelecom.net
5
Foreword
This book is written for you if English is your first language or if you are more proficient in English than French as a foreign language, and as an individual or small
business you buy telephone and broadband services in France. It seeks to take
you through the often difficult journey of getting the right services at the right price,
and quickly. For many years UKtelecom has been the fastest growing independent
provider of these services to the English speaking expat community in France; we
have come across most problems that are likely to be encountered, and several very
unusual ones that have become part of the industry’s folklore. This has enabled us to
provide highly relevant advice in an easily accessible form.
The seeds of this book were sown in the booklet ‘Lifting the lid on the French Telephone & Broadband Industry’, a previous UKtelecom publication. The original booklet
was written in 2006 to assist the many English speaking people with second homes
or relocating to France who either were experiencing difficulties understanding the
market or wanting to consider using alternative suppliers to the national carrier, Orange (now including all services previously supplied through France Telecom), as for
most it is not the best value for money. Many were struggling with the French language, particularly technical French, and needed honest, simple and straightforward
advice and information.
The booklet proved to be a runaway success
with large numbers of requests for copies being
received every day. However with the passage
of time in this fast moving industry much of the
information it contained needed updating, and
in addition more services and choices are now
widely available. In a time of rapidly increasing
general use of various forms of electronic communication, including the growing use of social
networks, the amount of information most people
want or need is considerable and growing. The
essential information on telephony services still
cannot be found in one place so the booklet has
www.uktelecom.net
7
The English Speaker’s Ultimate Guide
been replaced with this book which can be used to ensure you get both best value
able way with your chosen provider. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the
for money and the right services. This book also addresses the difference between
information we are providing is correct at the time of publication, it should be verified
the French approach to customer service and that of the UK or America for example!
if you intend to rely on it at a later date. Nevertheless we cannot take any responsibil-
Many of you will have moved to France for the more relaxed way of life which in many
ity for it or how it is used.
instances is reflected in the approach to customer service and timescales. Response
times to faults can take much longer than expected and in particular throughout
If you are uncertain which telecoms services would be best for you and cannot
July and August because of the generally longer summer holidays many employees
find the answers you need on the following pages you can take advantage of our
take.
many years’ experience of providing good and honest advice by calling either our
UK number 01483 477100 or, if already in France, using our freephone number
We have set ourselves a goal of producing an easily understood guide to help
0805 631632.
you on your journey from the first step of setting up a new line, to deciding
on the optional services to be applied, right through to how to change your
provider. We also address the occasional particularly difficult installation of
a broadband service, advising on the different types and need for caution.
The book also contains a wealth of advice on related equipment, how to go about
fault finding and how to get repairs undertaken as soon as possible.
UKtelecom has a long history of providing a wide range of services to the UK
business market, from large oil and gas
exploration companies, major law firms,
charities and sole traders to small accountancy businesses and schools. All this informs us that the telecoms industry is fast
moving with new products and services
We hope you find this guide useful but with all such works it is possible that some-
becoming available seemingly every few
thing has been overlooked. Therefore constructive criticism and suggestions for
months, resulting in the possibility that the
additional material are welcome and can be addressed to [email protected].
information contained here may become
These will be considered when subsequent revisions are made.
out of date sooner than in books on other
8
services. However, once armed with this
Bob Elliott
information you will be in a position to
Commercial Director
discuss your requirements in a knowledge-
UKtelecom Ltd
www.uktelecom.net
www.uktelecom.net
(Winter 2012)
9
Mission statement
We focus outwards on our customers making it easy for them to do business with us
by listening and responding to their current needs, and in this fast moving industry
providing good value new products to meet their future needs.
Being the biggest is not our aim, being the best is.
www.uktelecom.net
11
Searching for information
You are likely to want to use this book as a tool to give you quick and easy access
to particular subjects. Wherever practical we have built in links to enable you to go
directly to an item of interest. For example, if you go to the contents page and click
on a chapter that is of immediate interest you will be taken straight there.
You will find a number of web links contained
within the text and we have made these dynamic so by simply clicking on them you will
be taken directly to the web page of the link.
You may want to know all about a particular
subject and most PDF readers have a builtin search facility. Simply click on ‘ctrl’ and ‘F’
(Windows) or ‘cmd’ and ‘F’ (Mac) to access
the search dialogue. Simply enter the subject
or word you are seeking information on (for
instance, ‘line rental’), then hit ‘enter’, and if
covered by the content you will be taken to
where it first appears in the text and then on
to subsequent entries if there are any.
You will also find adverts for a number of trusted partners. Where these partners have
provided dynamic links to their websites these have been included, so by clicking on
their adverts you will be taken directly to their homepages or email contact pages.
www.uktelecom.net
13
Chapter 1
Setting the scene
How to get a better service & save money
When you purchase a new home in France you
are faced with a number of decisions before you
have had a chance to understand the marketplace.
Getting a telephone service up and running quickly
to avoid the huge cost of using mobile phones is
just one of them. How do you find and then avoid
expensive pitfalls? As a new arrival you more than
likely come from a more tightly regulated market
in your last country of residence and you may be
shocked by:
✘
The lighter touch of regulation of the
French market
✘
The poor customer support many
experience from Orange (now including
all services previously supplied through
France Telecom) and some other providers
✘
The inadequacy of internet services which
do not work because of miss-selling
Understanding the way the French market works
is the key to saving money on your telecommunications needs. Orange is the national carrier;
it is the dominant supplier and not surprisingly
the most expensive for most expat needs. Orange owns the telephone line network and most
exchanges and sells calls. Some of the larger
alternative
providers have their own exchang-
es or their own equipment located in Orange
www.uktelecom.net
15
exchanges. They also have agreements with specialist suppliers such as UKtelecom
staffing levels. Some have very few English speakers in their customer service and
who resell and manage these services. Where these are available in your area you
technical support functions totally negating one of the reasons for selecting them in
can expect to have lower costs from these competitors. Orange provides broadband
the first place.
and dial up services and calls made over the broadband service (known as VoIP
calls). There are a number of competitors with bilingual staff that offer the same ser-
The reason for the higher prices in France is that the deregulation of the French
vices bundled into a range of packages tailored to English speaking expats’ needs
telecom market is more recent than in many of the countries that most newcomers
with lower prices, especially to the UK and other international destinations.
have left and new competition has still to make a full impact. This manifests itself in
the very large share of the market still being held by the national carriers. However
Important legal & related matters
several things are similar.
Making savings will always be important, but the old saying that cheapest is not
Whilst you can now choose to have your new line installation managed by your cho-
always best can be true, depending on your requirements. Many competitors to Or-
sen alternative provider and have the line rental services managed by them, the line
ange can save you 30% or more on a typical bill for telephone calls. However do look
remains the property of Orange and is maintained by engineers that have been en-
out for those who claim to be specialists in the provision of services to expats but do
gaged by them as subcontractors. In some Départements this can be a single con-
not provide an English language version of their terms and conditions. If everything
tractor but in others there may be as many as four. The subcontractors are required
after an English language website and application form is in French you may feel
to respond to fault reports in the order of receipt, providing no beneficial advantage to
this is an unsatisfactory supplier. If they do not carry the English speaking service
Orange or its direct customers. Our experience is that there are marked differences
beyond the sale process you may reasonably assume that their commitment to an
of performance of these subcontractors with certain regions being of particular con-
expat focused service is less than appropriate. They may also send their invoices
cern. (Also see Chapter 5.)
in French whilst the best make them available in either French or English. Alterna-
16
tively you may have to go to a website and log on with a username and password to
Similarly, you can choose to buy your telephone time and broadband from an al-
download your latest invoice, rather than receive a monthly invoice via email or post.
ternative provider to Orange. There are several to choose from and they all have
Others have crude or poor internal systems and procedures, and may have very low
different offers with various connection charges and unlimited call packages, with
www.uktelecom.net
www.uktelecom.net
17
a small number offering services aimed
communication with your provider is
at the expat market. It is necessary to
likely to be ignored if it is not sent ‘en
look at the detail of the terms and con-
recommandé’ (by recorded delivery).
ditions, and you should satisfy yourself
This is essential if you are cancelling
that there are no ‘hidden’ charges such
a service such as a call package when
as high connection charges or maxi-
changing companies as otherwise the
mum call times after which your call is
charges will continue. It is in our view
cut off as these can amount to a signifi-
unwise to rely exclusively on any tele-
cant cost and inconvenience depending
phone or personal conversations with
on your usage. By shopping around you
a supplier on any important point. At
can make considerable savings, espe-
UKtelecom we regard this as an un-
cially if you are making calls outside of
necessary cost and inconvenience to
any call package or to many internation-
our customers so we will act on their
al mobile or nongeographic numbers
instructions by email, giving a cheaper
(see elsewhere for more details), but it
and quicker effect to their decisions.
is important to ensure that the level of
customer care meets reasonable ex-
Once you have your new services set
pectations and that access to it is easy
up do not be surprised if you receive
and not via a premium rate number as
unsolicited sales calls from Orange,
technical queries can take a long time
Free, SFR or other companies who
to resolve. Look for providers that can
will have bought your details from a
communicate with you in English unless
website used to ascertain the speed of
your technical French is good, and also
the broadband service applied to your
see if they offer a freephone number for
line. One of the biggest unexpected
your use.
problems you may have after receiving
such a call is to suddenly find that all
18
Most readers will be aware of the much
your services have been transferred
more bureaucratic way of doing busi-
to that company. The usual reason for
ness in France and this applies to most
this type of miss-selling is that their
telecom service providers. Do expect
telesales staff are paid commissions
to have to provide more personal de-
for each sale and they may not be
tails with your application for line rental,
there in a few months’ time. They have
and remember that all important written
little or no interest in your needs and
www.uktelecom.net
www.uktelecom.net
19
leave in their wake many dissatisfied customers faced with considerable expense to
than similar providers in other countries. It is therefore in your own interests to ensure
put matters right. Most frequently a sale is made on the basis of changing the broad-
you maintain your account in good order. If you do not and you are pursued for a bad
band service from a service applied to your telephone line, known as ‘dégroupage
debt a successful claim against you will also involve you paying for court and debt
partiel’ to ‘dégroupage total’. The latter ceases the low frequency ‘voice’ range on
collector costs.
your telephone line and sends all your calls over your broadband service. The benefit
of this arrangement is that the line rental charge of 16€ per month is no longer pay-
Most people are familiar with the importance of not writing cheques drawn on a
able, so the saving is attractive. However your line should usually have a minimum
French bank account when there are insufficient funds to meet the cost. What may
of 2Mb speed for the quality of the voice service to be satisfactory. In our experience
not be so apparent is that if you settle your invoices by direct debit (known in France
few telesales staff undertake this simple test before making the sale. There are many
as a ‘prélèvement’) you will be charged by your provider for any declined payment.
other considerations as well that are dealt with in the chapter on broadband.
This is because the bank will charge your provider a significant amount for the transaction failure, and they will pass that on to you. The cost is large and needs to be
No contract will have been signed and you only have a seven day cooling off period
avoided. Indeed, French bank charges are high in comparison to those in many other
that will most likely have been exceeded by the time you become aware of the situ-
countries so good financial management is important.
ation. Also cancellation fees may have to be paid to your chosen provider. Be aware
that simply asking for or agreeing to receive information on the calling company’s
UKtelecom has been providing services to the English speaking expat market since
products may be regarded by them as sufficient to constitute a new contract, giving
2005. Unique amongst its competitors it is an ISO 9002 accredited company and
them the right to take over your account!
has fully bilingual staff. Our staff are not paid by commission so you can be sure that
if you ask them for advice you will get sound and honest information allowing you to
This seems to most people to represent a complete failure by the regulators. The
take informed decisions that are best for your needs.
general feeling is that the big companies are very well connected and this results in
a lack of will by the authorities to address this problem.
Operating from its base in the UK it is also the only company able offer you the
choice of paying your invoices from either French or alternatively British bank ac-
All providers will want to be paid by an automatic payment from your bank account.
counts – 25% of customers choose to make payments from a British bank account.
They are also much quicker to suspend or cancel services because of unpaid bills
20
www.uktelecom.net
www.uktelecom.net
21
Chapter 2
uk
Getting a new line...
... & choosing the options once installed
There are two types of lines used for private
homes that you can choose from. The first is
the standard analogue line that is permanently
active. The second is known as a ‘ligne residence secondaire’ which can be suspended
when not in use, and therefore does not incur
line rental charges when temporarily disconnected. This second option is not available for
your main residence and it is not suitable for
most broadband services.
If you need a new line ...
... then leave it to us!
If you need a new telephone line installed
and don’t want the hassle of it, or you simply just want
one point of contact, we can manage this for you
for a one off fee of 40.00€.
New line
installation
management
If you are moving to France you may find it
attractive to ask your chosen provider to arrange for your new line to be installed, releasing precious time for other pressing matters.
UKtelecom can manage your line installation
for you for a small fee, and in doing this we
ensure there is no miss-selling and only good
advice on what products would be appropriate.
We’ll make contact with France Telecom for you,
arrange the engineer’s attendance at your property
and deal with any queries that arise.
Expert advice given on difficult installations.
The other advantage for many is that using
40.00€
a provider marketing specifically to the niche
English speaking expat market is that communication will be in English, which is a great assistance when dealing with technical matters
Click here for more information
or if you have questions about your invoice. If
you choose a UK based company such as UKtelecom you will also find that the approach to
or +44 (0)1483 477 100 from the UK
www.uktelecom.net
[email protected]
customer care is of a higher order and is more
likely to meet your expectations.
www.uktelecom.net
23
Setting up a new line
or taking over an existing line
The length of time for a line to be activated
remotely is about eight working days, but
is always subject to local considerations.
Taking over an active line
If the line cannot be activated remotely
You are most likely to need to have an existing line that is currently in use transferred
and an appointment has to be made for an engineer to
to you. This is reasonably quick and easy to achieve. All you have to do is provide
attend (called an RDV [‘rendez-vous’]) it may take up to four or five weeks
the name and telephone number of the current subscriber. A standard fee of 55€ will
depending on local circumstances.
be charged by Orange
If you are taking over an existing line the
The current user of the line must cease his
number will almost certainly be changed,
contract before your application will be
so don’t give out the previous user’s
considered.
number or have any stationery printed
until your number is confirmed!
Installing a brand new line
However if the current user of the line is a UKtelecom customer and you, as the new
user of the line, intend to use UKtelecom’s services this fee will not be charged. In
A simple new line installation will cost about
order to benefit from this arrangement UKtelecom would have to receive a contract
130€.
from you before the existing customer cancels the line.
If there has never been a line at the propTaking over a disconnected line that has been used within the last two years
erty a survey will be undertaken and the cost
might be high. This is particularly true if a
You will need to provide the name or telephone number of the previous subscriber for
new pole has to be installed due to the dis-
the line to be reactivated remotely and the cost is 55€. However if you do not have
tance between the existing service and the
this information and Orange cannot identify the details from their own records it is
property, or a trench needs to be dug across
likely that an engineer will have to come out and the charge will be about 130€.
a public path or road. If a trench is needed,
authorisation will have to be obtained from
Taking over a line that has been disconnected for more than two years
the Voirie (the authority responsible for looking after highways). You will be provided with
24
It is always helpful if you can provide the details of the last known subscriber as this
an estimate for the additional work, which
will help Orange when tracing the services previously used. An engineer will have to
will not commence until you have given your
come to the property and the connection charge will be about 130€.
agreement to meet the costs.
www.uktelecom.net
www.uktelecom.net
25
The process can also be frustrated if Orange cannot obtain permission to erect a
If an engineer needs to come out
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 broad-
If an engineer needs to attend they may need to have access to your property and
band and calls service. This is dealt with in another chapter.
they will phone you in advance to make arrangements. Normally this will be via a call
to your mobile, but be aware that they will only call French mobile numbers; if you
do not have one it is best to seek the help of a neighbour or buy a French ‘sim card’.
If you are moving into a new house or flat
If having made arrangements you find you are unable to keep the appointment you
you will find that they are often pre-cabled.
must give a minimum of 24 hours’ notice of your request for a change or cancellation
Help your chosen provider to get your line
otherwise charges will apply. Typically these charges start at 25€.
installed quickly by providing them with the
‘logo number’ (floor and flat number) which is usually on a metal plate by
the front door.
If you are going to use your existing mobile
One further point to remember is that Orange’s installation requires you as the owner
remember to have it unblocked so you can
to dig a trench, at your own expense, from your boundary to the outside wall of your
use it with a French ‘sim card’.
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 an overhead line. You
are also responsible for making a hole in the external wall to allow the cable entry.
Orange will only install the first internal telephone socket under the contract. Whilst
Buyer beware
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 Orange, or from one of several
A new customer wished to have a
alternative providers. The local Or-
line installed at the property he had
ange shop will make the arrange-
just purchased. It had never had a
ments or you can use their English
telephone previously installed and
speaking helpline if your French is
was in the countryside. This required Orange to undertake a survey which
not so good. Orange will ask if you
showed that an additional pole would have to be installed to carry the
are the owner of the property or if
telephone line. However it would need to be located on adjacent land owned
you are renting it. They will also re-
by the local angling club.
quire you to pay by ‘prélèvement’
(French direct debit) from a French
26
When asked for permission the club refused saying it would interfere with
bank account, and also let them
their use of the land. The customer was left with little option but use a satel-
take a copy of the photograph page
lite solution for broadband and calls.
of your passport.
www.uktelecom.net
www.uktelecom.net
27
Otherwise, for a small fee, you can ask your
lish speaking expat community they can make the arrangements for your new line
chosen alternative provider to do all this work for
and all other services you may want to run over it. This will almost certainly save you
you. (Not all offer this service so check if this is
money. For example calls made to international destinations via Orange will be much
important to you.) It can be an attractive option if
more expensive than many alternative companies, with even bigger differences for
you are busy with arrangements for moving etc.
calls to mobiles and nongeographic numbers frequently used by banks and insurance companies. Several offer very low cost calls to the UK for example, making the
Experience has told us that if you are speaking
call cheaper than calling a local French number with Orange.
directly with an Orange sales person you need
to be prepared to come under some pressure to
Keep your expectations realistic
buy other services, such as a call package or
broadband. If you are happy with this and the
Many new arrivals expect their new line (even if it is connecting or transferring an
associated charges then it will be convenient to
existing one to their name) to be nearly instantaneous. When being told that it usually
have all your services on one bill. However the
takes ten days some are very disappointed, saying that it never took that long back
Orange products are generally more expensive
in ‘their’ country. To the best of our knowledge there is very little difference between
and are structured to reflect the use made by the
the French and other European countries in this respect. If broadband is to be an ad-
general French population. Similarly, many of
ditional service it can take a further ten days once the new line is active before it will
their competitors marketing to the general popu-
go live. Again this is typical for the industry, so plan for these lead times rather than
lation do not offer the best value. If you wish to
allowing yourself to become frustrated!
use an alternative provider once your line is set
up simply decline any services other than the
line installation.
Look out for the broadband trick. You are likely to
be asked if you want the line for broadband and if
you say ‘yes’ they are most likely to interpret this
as you wishing to take their broadband service
– so simply say ‘no’. This makes no difference
to the line’s properties and your preferred supplier will install your broadband service on it in
the normal way.
If you choose to have all your services from a
specialist provider focused on selling to the Eng-
28
www.uktelecom.net
www.uktelecom.net
29
Multiplexé lines
Ligne residence secondaire
If you live in an area where there is limited exchange capacity and it is not possible
This type of line is provided specifically for second home owners and you must be
to provide you with a dedicated line you may be offered a ‘multiplexé’ line. This ser-
able to prove that your main residence is at another property to be able to subscribe
vice typically groups up to seven customers together by installing a ‘demultiplexer’ at
to this, done by producing current utility or insurance bills for another property, or
the local exchange and from this it sends a single line to the general location of the
through proof of residence abroad – often a tax document. You can only have this
customers in the group. Here a ‘multiplexé’ unit shares the access. The device ex-
type of line directly from Orange as they do not make it available for other companies
tends the capacity of the low frequency (voice) capability of the line, with calls being
to resell.
digitised between the two devices. The big drawback of this type of line is that there
is not enough high frequency bandwidth left on the line for any of the group using it
This service is available whether or not your main home is in France.
to have a broadband service.
You can request the service to be suspended for 1 to 12 months, up to 6 times a
If this is an issue it may be best to seek the help of the local Mairie who may make rep-
year. Whilst the service is suspended you can have your calls forwarded overseas,
resentations to Orange to invest in additional capacity at the exchange concerned.
but of course there will be a cost for each call forwarded based on its duration and
destination.
Alternatively you may wish to consider taking a satellite broadband service. The latest generation using KA technology, launched in June 2011, is capable of carrying
your telephone service as well. Please see the section on satellite broadband for
✔
To deactivate or reactivate the service, call giving instructions at least
✔
✔
For further information (in French): please follow this link
48 hours before departure/arrival: Tel: 1014 or 3000
more information.
demultiplexer
For information (in French) on call forwarding: please follow this link
multiplexé
30
www.uktelecom.net
www.uktelecom.net
31
If you have a second home and want to save money with this option you must remember that it is not suitable for use with a normal broadband service. This is be-
Payment of line rental
& associated bills
cause every time the line is suspended it will remove the broadband facility, meaning
that cancellation fees will be charged by your broadband supplier. In addition on your
If you rent your line from Orange they will
return new activation charges will be payable also, the total costs being far more
invoice you bimonthly in advance for the
than the line rental charges that would have been saved. Orange however does sell
service. Their competitors usually invoice
a slow speed broadband service that is compatible with this type of line.
monthly in advance. If you transfer from
Orange to another provider you will receive
The good news is that you can still use another provider for your calls and save
a credit for the balance of any period pre-
money.
paid that subsequently transfers to your
new provider.
Choosing the services available on your line
It is important to remember that in France
There are a range of services you can choose to have active on your line. Some are
service providers are much quicker to sus-
free and others are charged per month. More information on these services is given
pend or cancel services in the event of late
in Chapter 3.
or non-payment of an outstanding invoice.
Reconnection usually involves a reconnecFree options
tion charge. If you have a broadband ser-
• Number permanently withheld
vice it will have been disconnected and you
• Register with the French directory
will be liable for the cancellation charge
• Find out who tried to contact you
and also an activation charge if you want
• Withhold your number
it reinstated.
Landline calling features (charged at 1€/month)
If you have cancelled your arrangements
• No display (the default setting, so free)
with Orange some time previously leaving
• Display calling number*
unpaid bills and subsequently wish to buy
• Display caller’s name*
services from them again they will require
• Call waiting
you to pay a deposit before considering
• Transfer calls
your request.
• Message service (answerphone)
UKtelecom is the only specialist pro* Only one of these options can be selected.
vider giving you the choice of paying
for your services via a UK direct debit.
32
www.uktelecom.net
www.uktelecom.net
33
Getting your directory entry right
The telephone preference service
When you have your new line installed, or if you are taking over an existing one, you
Like most other countries France gives you the option to opt out of receiving unsolic-
will be asked by your provider if you want to be in the directory or exdirectory.
ited sales and marketing calls. The service is known as ‘liste orange’. This is a free
service and can be accessed using this link (in French).
France produces two new telephone directories annually: ‘pages jaunes’ (yellow
pages) is the directory for businesses whilst ‘pages blanches’ (white pages) is the
You simply need to complete the ‘formulaire de souscription’. Use the link to enter
directory for private numbers. These are issued by la poste (post office) and in most
your telephone number, email address and a contact number.
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
Please note this service is only available to Orange subscribers.
or village and then look up the service or person you require.
There is also an online directory, again arranged using the same colours but within
Choosing to be unlisted or exdirectory
the same site. This is very helpful if you are a second home owner and want to arrange services whilst out of the country, ready for your return. To access the direc-
The service is free and you can register online if you did not do this when first apply-
tory, please follow this link.
ing for your line. As usual you will have to provide an email address and a contact
number.
If for any reason you have a business or private number and wish to find out the
address associated with it the same website has a ‘reverse directory’. Please follow
Known as ‘liste rouge’ this option removes all details of your number from both print-
this link.
ed and online directories. In addition your number will not be released to telephone
number services.
Using the tab at the top of the home page ‘à qui est ce numéro’ is another way to
For more information on this service please follow this link.
access the reverse directory.
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www.uktelecom.net
www.uktelecom.net
35
Chapter 3
free services ...
Running a small business?
... & others that are chargeable
If you are running a small business you may need an entry level digital service with
Free services
two lines utilising a small telephone system. This is known in the UK as an ISDN2e
service, and its equivalent in France is known as ‘numeris’. You can have call pack-
When placing your order you can spec-
ages associated with this type of service so you are not restricted to a ‘pay as you
ify from a number of free features to be
go’ service, although if your usage is light this may be the best option.
placed on your line. Those used most
often are:
Larger requirements can be met with a different type of line but because of the minority interest to readers details are not included here.
Find out who tried to call you last
On dialling 3131 a voice prompt gives you
the number of the last person who tried
to call you, with the date and time of their
call. To call return the call press 5 on your
handset.
Choose to withhold your number
By dialling 3651 in front of the number
you wish to call your own number will be
withheld on the handset of the person
you are calling.
Choose to permanently withhold your
number
This feature will always withhold your
name and phone number, ensuring your
privacy. If you wish to use this service
your provider will activate it for you.
Choose exdirectory
Please refer to the section “getting your
directory entry right” in Chapter 2.
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www.uktelecom.net
www.uktelecom.net
37
Chargeable services
Name display - to see the name of your caller on your handset
The name of your caller will display on your handset unless withheld or unavailable.
There are several additional features that have charges associated with them. The
The details shown are those from the phone directory. (This is only available on
most popular of these are:
compatible phones – though most modern phones have this feature). This service
costs 1.00€ / month.
Call waiting
You will be warned by a beep that someone is trying to call you while you are on
You cannot have both the number and name display services on the same line.
another call. This service allows you to put the first caller on hold and speak to the
Call forwarding
second caller.
This is a service that allows you to have your calls redirected to another number if
Once you have signed up to this service, you can activate or deactivate it at will.
you are away. In addition to the 1€ / month charge for the service you will have to pay
Press *43# to activate or #43# to deactivate.
for the calls being transferred.
To use this feature press R followed by 2 to speak to your second caller, then R fol-
Message service - automated answerphone service
lowed by 1 to return to your first caller.
This feature allows you to receive messages if you are already on the phone or away
from home. We must point out that this answerphone is in French and might well
confuse your friends in the UK. However, it can be programmed to have your own
This service costs 1.00€ / month.
English personalised message – see below.
Number display - to see the number of your caller on your handset
You will see the number of your caller on your handset, unless their number is with-
It is almost impossible to find information on how to use this Orange service, and as
held or unavailable. (This is only accessible on compatible phones – though most
the prompts are in French, and rapid, the following may be of assistance:
modern phones have this feature). This service costs 1.00€ / month.
Step 1: Call the Orange helpline from your landline and say “je voudrais activer ma messagerie vocale”. It is likely to be a small number of days before the
service is activated.
Step 2: Once the service is activated you will know when messages have
been left because you will get a short ring tone on your handset. Simply dial
3103 to access your messages. Press 1 to listen to them, press 2 to save
them and press 3 to delete them. Access saved messages by calling 3103 and
pressing 1 in the usual way.
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www.uktelecom.net
39
To get to the part of the service you want call 3103 then between prompts:
We always suggest you have your own
Press 2
answerphone. This is much more reliable
Press 1
and you can see and hear things
Press 2
immediately.
Press 1
Press 2
Press 1 and then record your personal greeting, and then press #
To set the number of rings before the answerphone starts
Press 1 to activate your greeting
You can set this from 5 to 40 seconds (by multiples of 5 seconds) which means from
1 to 10 rings. From the landline on which this feature is activated dial *610*, then eg
If you use a VoIP line for your calls (see under broadband) your broadband service
25# will give 25 seconds (around 5 rings). A message tells you that your request has
provider will offer a similar service usually for the same cost but the instructions you
been accepted and confirmed.
have to use will be different.
Personalised greeting message
This service costs 1.00€ / month.
To personalise your greeting message dial 3103 from your landline, then press 2 and
you will be guided through the different steps to change your greeting message while
Useful French words & terms
you are away or when you are already on the phone.
Voicemail
messagerie vocale
Personalising your service
You will probably want to replace the standard greeting with your own personalised
You have reached the Adams family. Vous êtes bien chez la famille Adams.
one. Most of our customers do this in both English and French – with brief greetings
Please leave your message
Veuillez laisser votre message
working best. Don’t worry about messages left for you in French as you can always
after the beep
après le beep sonore
Save (to save a message)
conserver
Delete (to delete a message)
supprimer
To listen to your messages, press 1
Pour consulter vos messages, appuyez sur 1
Hash key #
la touche dièse
Make a personalised greeting
personnaliser votre messagerie
replay them as many times as necessary using the steps given above.
Personalised Setting:
Automating the message service if you are using the phone
As we are aware is the case with many of our customers who take unlimited call
packages, you are likely to enjoy long calls to friends and family back home. However
this blocks the line for incoming calls that you may want to receive. Activating the
message service to let a caller know you are there but on the phone and giving them
the option to leave a message could not be simpler:
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www.uktelecom.net
www.uktelecom.net
41
Chapter 4
Alternative providers...
... the best price & service
Price & service
There are two main reasons why people choose
an alternative provider to Orange. It is most often to benefit from considerable savings but
frequently also it is a desire for better customer
service. There are many things about the French
way of life that attract us to this wonderful country, particularly the more relaxed environment.
However with the present day emphasis on reliable telephone and broadband services a slow
response to problems once a service has been
bought from some established companies can
often cause considerable dissatisfaction.
This situation resulted in many expats looking
for a better service and in response many of the
larger companies set up ‘English speaking’ subsidiaries and a number of independent companies were formed when the telecoms market was
deregulated nearly ten years ago. However since
then there has been a raft of mergers between
the larger French companies with such firms as
Tele2, Neuf, and Cegetel now incorporated within SFR, whilst Alice was purchased by Free, and
Club Internet ceased trading as an independent.
Of the independents some have ceased advertising such as Teleconnect (part of the Budget
organisation) although it is still active in the market and looks after its historical customer base.
www.uktelecom.net
43
AS24 which used to partner with both UKtelecom and Primus can be added to this
specialist English speaking companies have relatively weak technical support. How-
list with those customers buying a full range of services including broadband moving
ever UKtelecom has a dedicated team with highly experienced staff who can offer
to UK Telecom directly; the remainder who were only taking telephone calls moved
good advice and identify the source of a problem quickly.
from Primus to Afone. Afone is a well established French company that had no previous experience of providing services to expats.
Significant savings on calls are available from several providers, and some of these
also include a number of free minutes with call packages bundled with broadband
Phonexpat continues to trade but has experienced an unbroken decline in the size
of its business for many years. UKtelecom is alone in providing a growing range of
services and has seen a strong record of growth since it started trading in 2003.
There are several areas where all companies competing with Orange find it difficult
to reduce costs. For example line rental reductions are not generally available and
the broadband market only has four main suppliers so competition is poor, compared
44
offers.
When headline prices are not enough
You will find many call packages providing unlimited calls to an identified number of
destinations. The main French companies concentrate on making offers that reflect
to the 30 or so providers in the UK for example. As a consequence there is little to
the calling pattern of French nationals who make very few international landline and
choose between many providers on these prices but there are very real differences
mobile calls and rarely call overseas marketing numbers. As a consequence their
in respect of calls to international landline, mobile and premium rate numbers as well
apparently good unlimited call package may exclude these types of calls and the ‘pay
as better customer support from the best of the alternatives. Orange has an English
as you go’ rates for them will be high compared with those of specialist providers.
speaking helpline but there is widespread criticism of difficulties in getting through.
Add to this the fact that most expat calls to overseas landlines and mobiles tend to
The same criticism has been made of Afone. SFR’s technical support line is now
be much longer than those made by the French home market and unforeseen costs
available in English also but the same difficulties of access remain, and some of the
can really mount up.
www.uktelecom.net
www.uktelecom.net
45
All providers offer unlimited calls to French, an ‘Anglo’ group of countries (typically
purchasing. Businesses always make it easy
the UK, Ireland, Australia and USA) and the rest of Europe, as well as packages that
for you to give your custom to them by giv-
include 100 or more international destinations. These offers are for calls made from
ing you a free call telephone number. However
your landline or broadband VoIP service to landline numbers. None of them include
there are very few examples of these impor-
overseas marketing numbers, often known as nongeographic numbers, which are
tant service providers giving you a freephone
widely used by banks and insurance companies for example. Packages that include
number or an ordinary number to enable you
mobiles are not generally available because of the high risk of abuse, but this is likely
to manage the business you have given them.
to change. There are some that offer calls to French mobiles as part of the call pack-
In fact they usually insist that you use a non-
age and if you make very few calls to overseas mobiles this will be a good service
geographic number that is expensive for you
to consider.
and makes more money for them.
Many people choose their provider on the price of an unlimited package alone, not
You may also have found that the call centres
considering the cost of these other calls. If you have just moved to France or your
you call on these numbers are less than ef-
French home is not your main place of residence you are likely to make many calls
ficient. It is instructive to measure the time it
to overseas mobiles and nongeographic numbers so do consider carefully how you
takes them to answer a call on a freephone
choose your supplier! These less obvious costs can make an apparently good offer
number used for new business and compare
very unattractive for many.
this to the time it takes them to answer a call
to their service call centres. Don’t be surprised
if these service call centres keep you on hold
If you have any doubt about the cost to
for long periods as you are paying them for
call a UK nongeographic number go to this
every minute they keep you waiting because
website and check:
of the high cost of the call from which they re-
www.magsys.co.uk
ceive a premium; in addition every minute you
Select ‘CodeLook’ and type in the number to get the cost to call if you
are being taken through the security process
were calling from the UK. To this you must add the cost your French
you are increasing their profits. There seems
supplier will charge to get your call onto the UK network.
little or no justification to treat customers this
way. What really stings is if you have to call
46
High cost UK calls to government offices, banks etc will be much higher from
these numbers from a mobile phone – often
France
the case when you are abroad.
You will probably have found that more of your contacts with HMRC, DWP, NHS,
Whoever you choose do not expect UK 0800
your bank, building society or other similar providers are being done over the phone
and similar ‘toll free’ numbers to be free when
due to the general trend of centralisation of services, branch closures and internet
calling from France. The owners of those
www.uktelecom.net
www.uktelecom.net
47
numbers pay for you to call them only when your call originates within the UK. For
If you do not have a landline in France and use
example, if you are calling from France whichever provider you use they will have
a UK mobile there will be very heavy additional
to charge you to get your call from France onto the UK network. Similar situations
charges because you are making an overseas
will apply to other countries national ‘low rate’ and ‘premium rate’ calls. All the main
call so roaming charges will apply. However
French companies make high charges for these types of calls whilst specialist com-
you may be able to reduce these if you can find
panies serving the expat market are likely to offer better value.
out the actual standard number that the nongeographic number terminates on, as often this
If you ever need to call ‘personal follow me numbers’ which in the UK usually start
type of call will be included in your package, so
with the prefix 09 and you use a French national carrier the cost can be almost eye
it may be free from the UK and possibly France
watering. These numbers are now starting to be used by UK hospitals providing
depending on your call package. If it is not in-
telephone services to patients which can add to an already stressful situation. So if
cluded in your call package it will be cheaper
savings are a priority there is no alternative but to do a little research.
from overseas if you are using a specialist provider. If you use a French mobile ‘sim card’ try
Shown below is a table of the different types of nongeographic numbers and the cost
to find out how much the call tariff is.
to call them within the UK:
You can find many standard telephone numbers that can be substituted for the expensive
Number range
Typical cost to call in the UK *
(check with your provider)
08 marketing numbers by following the advice
in the ‘top tip’ below. The businesses that use
0800
Free
marketing numbers simply buy them and use
03
National rate
the national telephone network to redirect call-
0845
Lo-call
ers to the appropriate office in their organisa-
0844
Between 1ppm & 5ppm**
tion, which will of course have a standard num-
0870
National Rate
ber. So if you can find out what that number is
0871
10ppm
the call may be free if it falls within your call
09 ‘follow me’ numbers, hospitals etc
Very high, see ‘top tip’ above
package or much less expensive whenever you
are making your call outside of it. The first place
*
Remember to add your French supplier’s cost to these prices.
to look is for information given by the company
about how to make contact when abroad. This
**
The actual cost for you to call these numbers will depend on the profit the
is almost always a standard geographic num-
owner of the number wants to make from your time on the phone. You will
ber and you can simply use this with the appro-
need to ask to find the cost of the charge on a particular number.
priate international prefix depending on where
you are. It will work from within the UK also.
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www.uktelecom.net
www.uktelecom.net
49
Second home & low volume telephone users
- is an unlimited call package best?
Go online and search www.saynoto0870.
com putting the marketing number you
have been given into it. If you are lucky
For homes not permanently occupied or where the number of calls made is low it
the search will come back with a normal
would be wise to consider one of the many ‘pay as you go’ tariffs. However, it can be
telephone number. This very useful site does not restrict itself to just
difficult to judge whether you may be better off having a call package and to help with
0870 numbers so do look for 0844, 0845 and other similar prefixes.
this UKtelecom offers to activate and deactivate call packages for complete months
and only requires an email from you stating when the service is needed. This can be
done with as little as 24 hours notice, and sometimes less.
The www.saynoto0870.com website grows by visitors adding the normal numbers
they have discovered to the database. So if the number you want is not there leave
The same considerations around the differences in call profiles for expat customers
a message on the marketing number you have asking them to call you back. If they
compared to French nationals will obviously also apply to ‘pay as you go’ tariffs com-
do their number may be presented on your phone. Take a note of it so you can use
pared to unlimited call packages.
it in the future. Also, help everyone else with a similar need by adding the details to
this website.
In countries where the deregulation of the telecoms market is longer established the
practice of making a one off charge each time a call is answered has reduced or
If you are abroad and have access to a smartphone you can download an app called
disappeared. This is known as a connection charge. However in France it remains
either 08 Wizard or 0800 Wizard. Once downloaded dial the 08 or 0800 number you
common, but the cost varies considerably between providers. It ranges typically from
need and the app will simply reroute your call to a normal number instead. There is
0.06€ to 0.12€ per call. Whilst this does not seem to be very much it should be re-
a possibility that this will be a type of call that will be included in your package if you
membered that calls to mobiles are on average about 1.5 minutes and calls to land-
are in the UK, making it a free call if you have not used all your allowance!
lines typically 5 minutes, so the cumulative cost each month may be significant but
not necessarily noticeable. It will pay you to check these charges before committing
yourself to a new provider.
At UKtelecom it is our policy to
Note...
give you a freephone number to
contact us on if you are in France
and a standard telephone
number if you are in the UK.
These numbers can be used for
any type of call, and are not
restricted to sales calls.
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51
Cheapest is not always best
The role of a good provider is to be able to offer excellent telephone support, to
have sufficient knowledge to assist in correctly identifying the cause of any problem
As mentioned elsewhere some providers’ service levels are often lower than ex-
quickly and knowing how to get it repaired without delay. The technical support staff
pected. For example many will demand an instruction from you in writing for the
you speak with will have a number of web based diagnostic and repair tools to inves-
cancellation of any service and most often ‘en recommandé’ (by recorded delivery)
tigate problems on your line or broadband service and this allows quicker repairs to
before they will act on your wishes. UKtelecom makes no such demand of its cus-
be made. The service is often dependant on you using your provider’s modem as this
tomers and is happy to respond to instructions by email saving you both time and
is designed to communicate with these diagnostic tools.
money. Some provide terms and conditions for services aimed expressly at
Today’s technology also allows your
the English speaking expat market that
provider to use web gateways to com-
are written in French – hardly customer
municate with the owners of the tele-
focused and almost certainly some-
com equipment and this allows for the
thing that works to your disadvantage.
quickest reporting of problems. De-
This problem is often compounded
pending on the type of problem it may
with a poor response to the simplest
be rectified by a software intervention
things such as the time to answer the
making the resolution quick. If the fault
phone or respond to an email. It follows
is on your telephone line it may need to
that the energy such providers put into
be investigated physically; this will be
addressing customer needs is corre-
done by an Orange subcontractor with
spondingly slow as well.
the speed depending on your Region or
Département and the volume of work at
UKtelecom has led the way in custom-
the time. For example repairs can take
er service, offering a freephone num-
longer following a storm as the French
ber for customers to call irrespective of
network has a greater proportion if its
the issue they want help with, its terms
infrastructure on poles as opposed to
and conditions are in plain English and
in ducting under the pavement. Also
all of its staff are bilingual. UKtelecom
there is a longer response during July
is also the only company providing
and August due to staff holidays.
invoices in English or French and ac-
52
cepting payment by a UK direct debit
From a practical point of view it is bet-
or a French ‘prélèvement’. There is an
ter to buy your line rental, calls and
option to have paper invoices but gen-
broadband from the same provider.
erally they are sent by email.
This enables them to test and manage
www.uktelecom.net
www.uktelecom.net
53
all aspects of your service, avoiding the risk, for example, of Orange being unhelpful
The service works by ‘translating’ your French number into a low cost UK number
with a fault on the line if calls are not going over their equipment.
starting 0844. This has no effect on the way your French number works; you simply
give this alternative number to your friends and family in the UK. There is no contract
The 0844 number that saves money! -
to sign and there are no charges to you or those you give this number to. They will
save money for friends and family in the UK when they call you
simply be charged by their own provider for a low rate call which will be added to their
bill in the normal way. Calls made over a BT line will cost 3 pence per minute at any
Whether your property in France is your holiday home or main residence, you may
time compared to 18 pence per minute calling a French number in office hours on a
have left behind friends, family and others in the UK who will want to call you but
domestic line. Other service providers may have different charges, but they certainly
who may be reluctant to call an international number. There is a long established and
will be a lot less than making an international call. Charges will be more if made
free service that you can use that dramatically reduces the costs they would pay.
from a mobile unless the call package specifically includes 0844 nongeographic
However UKtelecom is thought to be unique in marketing this ‘UKDirect2U’ service
numbers.
to its customers in France*. (The same service is also offered by UKtelecom for calls
made from the UK to most other international destinations.)
Callers using your translated number will get UK rather than French ring tones due
to the equipment being used.
*
Even if you are not a UKtelecom customer you can still take advantage of
this excellent service by visiting our website and subscribing to it online which will
The service needs to be used regularly to keep it live. In practice this means that
normally take about 2 minutes.
the number has to be called once every three months. The call does not have to be
answered. As long as the connection is completed and the calling party gets a ring
54
It could not be simpler to use and for your UK callers it can reduce their costs to one
tone it is enough to keep the service operational. The service can be reinstated by
sixth of the rate they would be charged on a standard domestic BT service in office
following the original procedure but there is a strong possibility that the original 0844
hours. But best of all the service is free to you!
number will have been lost and a new one will be provided.
www.uktelecom.net
www.uktelecom.net
55
Chapter 5
INSURANCE IN FRANCE
What should I do if ...
... my telephone stops working?
Like any service, problems will occur from time to
English-speaking, French-based Insurance brokers
time. Getting a fault repaired quickly is always a priority and understanding how repairs are made is
essential if you are to avoid having unreasonable
expectations!
Unlike BT in the UK for example where there is a
national company – Openreach – that manages all
fault repairs, France subcontracts repairs to compa-
Property
◆
Vehicles
◆
Health
◆
Life
◆
Commercial
nies that have tendered for the work. In practice this
means that different companies will be employed
depending on the Region or Département. In some
Expert advice on all French insurance needs
instances there are as many as four subcontractors
Dedicated English-speaking division
there is a wide range of performance and where it
Wide range of competitive covers and policies available
working in the same area. The consequence is that
is poor in practice there is nothing that can be done
about it at customer level.
Quotes obtained from major international insurance
underwriters
The subcontractors are required to repair faults as
All claims processed in English
erations that can affect the prioritisation of faults eg
Comprehensive advice on health insurance in France
or if there is a wider problem such as damage
they are reported irrespective of the service provider. However, there are some operational considwhere there is a general problem at an exchange
caused by a flood or storm. This latter problem is
much more frequent than in many other countries
For an informed and really friendly no obligation
discussion contact Nick Chubb:
Tel: 04 68 32 41 20 (From the UK: 00 44 4 68 32 41 20)
e-mail: [email protected]
www.asttral.com
because a much larger proportion of the network
is distributed on poles rather than in ducting under
the pavement, and is therefore more vulnerable to
storm damage, corrosion and damage from overhanging trees for example.
www.uktelecom.net
57
If you pay line rental to Orange you will need to be able to report the fault in French to
the probability will be that much higher. Before you call and ask for an engineer to fix
them. The engineers will ask for the symptoms, if there is a dialling tone etc and then
it there are some simple things you should do to eliminate the possibility of the fault
allocate an engineer. You can also report a fault in French on www.1013.fr.
resting within your home and therefore being your responsibility. If you do not do this
and an engineer finds that there is no fault on the network you will be charged for
Once a fault is allocated to an engineer they will investigate and may call at your
their attendance – a not inconsiderable amount.
property as part of their work. If you are out and they need to have access they will
make another appointment. As mentioned previously you must provide a French
First take a few moments to find out if the problem affects only you or if you have
contact number (the engineers will not call a UK mobile) and if you fail to keep an
neighbours similarly affected. Storm damage to the local network or a problem at
appointment you have agreed to charges will apply.
your exchange could affect many households and if that is the case the fault is likely
to have been reported already.
Three Types of Faults
If you believe you are the only home to be affected the next thing to do is to check
The three main types of problems are:
there is no damage to the wiring in your property and that your equipment is connected in the usual way. If you have multiple telephone sockets in your house it is
✘
✘
✘
A complete loss of service
always best to start by connecting a telephone handset directly in to the first socket
Intermittent poor quality for both incoming and outgoing calls
entering your house from the telephone line, to identify internal wiring problems.
Problems with your wiring are often capable of being repaired by a competent DIY
enthusiast, but if you want this to be done by someone else it is far less expensive to
Poor quality outgoing calls only
use a local electrician than an Orange appointed subcontract engineer.
Each is addressed below.
Do double check that an electrical storm has not damaged your equipment. Such
storms are far more frequent in parts of France than may have been your previous
A complete loss of service
experience and power surges can travel down the telephone line and damage hand-
58
If you cannot receive or make any calls the problem is most likely to be due to the
sets or any other equipment connected to it. So always try another handset if you
telephone line being faulty. If you have lost your broadband service at the same time
have one or can borrow one from a neighbour.
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Make the following quick and easy checks:
One customer had an infrequent
✔
✔
✔
Check there is no obvious fault with your wiring
loss of service. All normal line
tests showed no fault, but after
Check your handset is working
much perseverance it was identified that the problem occurred following heavy rain. Eventually the engi-
Check you can receive calls by ringing your number using a mobile
neer was persuaded to ‘walk the line’ and discovered that for 100m it had
phone or call from a neighbour’s phone
come off the poles and was in a ditch that occasionally filled with water.
If these do not reveal a problem with your equipment call either Orange or your alternative provider if you pay your line rental to them. If calling Orange choose the option
Make the following quick and easy checks
for poor quality or total line failure. This is a French language automated service and
so your service provider can
you will be asked to give your number and a description of the fault.
address the fault quickly:
•
service fails or the quality drops
If you pay your line rental to another provider call them and they will manage the
fault for you in the same way as Orange. They have tools to remotely test your line
•
helpful if you can provide a mobile number so you can be updated on what is being
done, but do remember that Orange will only call a mobile with a French ‘sim card’
whereas most other providers will call you even if you have a mobile with another
country’s ‘sim card’.
Consider variations in the weather or storm damage and if they are
linked to the drop in service
whilst you are on the phone to them and these may reveal what the problem is. In
any event they will take ownership of the problem and keep you informed. It will be
Make a list of the times when the
•
Be prepared to explain the problem accurately in French if your
provider does not offer customer support in English
Incoming calls are okay, but outgoing calls are of poor quality
The most likely reason for this is that you are using an alternative provider to Orange
and that at your particular exchange they have installed their own equipment to offer
Calls can be made but are poor quality
lower prices. Whilst they use high quality equipment, it is not part of the exchange. In
If you find both incoming and outgoing calls are of poor quality the problem will again
be with the line. Call your provider in the same way as if there was a loss of service
on your line.
practice this type of fault hardly happens, and when it does it will affect only a small
area, ie that covered by your local exchange, and only its customers, not the whole
of the locality. Repairs are usually completed quickly.
To get the fault repaired as quickly as possible report it to your provider, giving three
detailed examples including the date, time and number called. Also let them know if
calls are okay to landlines but not mobiles as there could be a local problem with the
mobile service provider.
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Chapter 6
Dial-up
Occasionally there can be a problem calling a single overseas destination. In these
Taking a few moments out to look back to past times often brings with it warm feel-
cases it will be an equipment problem with the international carrier not your provider
ings of nostalgia. The now almost discarded dial-up service is unlikely to provoke
and this type of problem can equally affect Orange and other providers. It will still be
pleasant memories though. It is a service that enables you to have broadband ac-
necessary to give three examples of problem calls.
cess over the low frequency (voice) side of your telephone line but it comes with
many disadvantages. You may have recollections of attempting to download pictures
from friends or family, or information from the web, by simply setting the download
Make the following quick and easy checks:
•
process in motion and going away to do other things for a quarter of an hour only to
Is call quality poor to both landlines
find on your return that the download has failed!
and mobiles or just mobiles?
•
Have you made a list of 3 examples
with the date, time of day and number being called ie mobile or
landline?
•
Be prepared to explain the problem accurately in French if your
provider does not offer customer support in English
The increase in social networking and everyday tasks that we now undertake online
such as internet banking mean this once popular service has all but disappeared
because it simply cannot support these activities.
If your needs are infrequent and are restricted to sending and receiving short emails
with no attachments, and you have no requirement to search the web and download
information, it may still be a service you want to consider because of its low cost.
However it is slow and whilst in use it prevents your normal voice service working, so
no incoming or outgoing calls can be handled.
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Chapter 7
Broadband ...
... finding the right service for you
Setting the scene
Recent years have seen a huge change in the way
people and businesses communicate with each
other. Broadband has altered the way we do our
shopping, gather information and keep in touch
with family and friends. It may also be how you discovered the property that you have purchased as
it is estimated that more than 90% of searches for
property in France start on the internet.
Access to a reliable broadband service will be a
priority if you have left behind family and friends
that you are keen to stay in touch with or you have
a business need for this service. However there is
an extraordinary amount of miss-selling in France,
with the worst offenders in our experience being
Orange followed by some call centres working for
the big competitor companies. This miss-selling is
most likely driven by the sales commissions that
are paid so it is worth spending some time to make
sure you do not buy the wrong service; whilst it has
never been easier to set up a broadband service
the opportunity to make an expensive mistake remains large!
The obvious thing from a purchaser’s point of view
is to buy services at the lowest price, but with broadband there is not always a complete understanding
of what is being offered and unsuitable services
continue to be sold regularly to the unsuspecting.
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The problem starts with the way the ‘dégroupage total’ service, described later in this
Get the customer service you want
chapter, is sold. Telesales staff will say you can have a broadband and call package
for less than 40€ a month, which is significantly cheaper than some offers which
Most telecoms companies have recognised the considerable size of the English
cost typically 16€ more. Services sold at these prices will almost certainly route all
speaking expat market, resulting in many French companies setting up an English
your calls over your broadband service, known as VoIP calls. For these calls to be
speaking sales team, with some also providing technical support in English. If this is
of an acceptable quality the speed of your broadband needs to be at least 2MB. It is
an important consideration for you, do make enquiries about the working language
unlikely that the telesales person will make the check for you as they do not want to
of the technical support function. A good indicator can be if the company makes
lose the sale and the associated commission. So do not expect to be made aware
its terms & conditions available in English – if it doesn’t you might find their English
that this service will only work on 20% of the lines of prospective customers they
speaking services are understaffed and difficult to access, or worse are simply not
speak with.
available. This may be important for you if you feel your technical French language
skills are not particularly strong as the desire to always have access to a working
broadband service can be seriously frustrated by language problems.
Never agree to change your telecom
service provider as a result of a sales call
and never agree to receive information on
There have been many comments in the media about the plan announced by Orange
services from a telesales person as it has
in the spring of 2012 to double their investment in fibre for broadband, but because of
been known for them to argue this proves you have agreed to move to
the cost this will be uneconomic for most areas where expats like to live. The problem
them!
is made worse because of the way the service is going to be delivered. The fibre
is being taken directly into every home on the service. This compares with the UK
Our consistent advice is never agree to change your provider in response to a sales
solution which brings fibre to the local roadside cabinet and uses the existing copper
call – tell the person who has called you that you will do your own research. If you do
cables for the last leg of the service. Whilst the Orange solution will deliver the very
not you could find yourself with a new provider and the seven day cooling off period
highest speeds this is unlikely to be fully utilised by most domestic users. So there
may have expired by the time you receive any paperwork from them. Nor should
will be a real difference depending on where you live and if the local Mairie can bring
you agree to them posting information to you as they may then argue that you have
pressure to bear.
agreed to change providers. It is disappointing to have to give this advice but so
many instances of improper selling have come to our attention as to make the inclusion of the advice desirable.
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If broadband is important to you we advise you not take a property seller’s word that
The only test that gives you an accurate speed, or confirms the service is indeed
it is available – others have found it not always to be the case. It is simple to test the
available, is the one that is undertaken on an active line into your house.
line and you or your chosen supplier can do this in minutes. Beware though, the sites
that are used to make the tests sell the numbers being tested to broadband suppliers
Understanding the contractual relationship
who then make cold calls offering their products. In this respect please bear in mind
the information given in Chapter 1 under the heading ‘important legal and related
If you can get broadband the next thing is to understand the nature of all broadband
matters’.
contracts. These will almost certainly have a minimum contract duration insisted on
by suppliers because they incur considerable frontend costs setting up each new
If you do not have a line at your property the next best thing is to test a near neigh-
service, and also have to enter into a minimum 12 month contract with their sup-
bour’s or business number. Use www.mappy.com and www.pagesjaune.fr to get
plier. Just as important is that the contract relates to the line on which the service is
suitable numbers for this. Armed with a telephone number go to www.degroupetest.
being installed, not a customer’s account. So even if you move before the minimum
com to establish the speed of that line. Be aware however this will not automatically
contract period has expired and you are staying with the same provider for the same
mean the speed available to you will be the same as the speed is a product of the
services at another location the cancellation charges will still apply. Therefore if you
distance between your property and the local exchange, although in most cases it
are moving into temporary or rented accommodation consider this carefully.
will give you a reasonable approximation. For example the speed at your property
will depend on how adjacent properties are connected to the local exchange. Proper-
The contract you enter into will almost certainly have a set up or activation charge
ties can be connected either by the phone line route going up one side of the road
and there is usually a cancellation charge at the end of the contract. Most also pro-
and then down the other, and if that is the case it could mean that your neighbour
vide a modem for you to use making the set up ‘plug & play’. This avoids you having
opposite can get broadband whilst you cannot. This would not be the case if you
to struggle with having to configure a username and password, it also usually allows
were the next person on the route, assuming that there is not a significant distance
remote testing making any fault finding quicker and repairs more efficient.
between the properties.
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From this you will see that broadband is a service that is meant to be permanently
Choosing the right broadband service for you
available, so it is not generally suitable for low occupancy second homes. As the
typical service cannot be suspended you would have to cancel and then activate
Dégroupage total
the service on each occasion, resulting in costs that may be more than leaving the
service permanently connected. However there is a slow speed option that can be
Once you have decided to go ahead you will need to understand the choices you
suspended which is described below.
have and one thing that is not in abundance is good information – so it is very much
‘buyer beware’. Any combined line rental, call and broadband package being sold
In France there are only 4 owners of national networks of broadband services com-
for less than 40€ per month will be a ‘dégroupage total’ service. This is significantly
pared with over 30 in the UK. Some of these make their service available to special-
cheaper than the normal service and it is cheaper for a reason!
ist companies like UKtelecom. This means prices are high because there is very
little competition. Prices are also higher because the area covered by the network is
This service disables the voice or low frequency bandwidth on your telephone line,
about twice the size of the UK for approximately the same population.
and as a result you no longer have to pay the normal line rental charge. Do not expect this to be drawn to your attention by sales staff in the large companies. They will
On the plus side, if you live in a major city or very large town additional equipment
simply lead you to believe they have a better offer than your current or prospective
might have been installed in your local exchange, alongside the Orange apparatus,
provider.
by either SFR (including UKtelecom) or Free Telecom giving you access to lower
price tariffs with these companies. This is called ‘dégroupage total’ but is only avail-
If you can get a service with 2Mb or more speed on your line you may want to take
able to about 20% of the population, so for the rest there is only standard broadband
advantage of being able to have all your calls carried over your broadband service.
or if that is not available – usually in rural areas – customers have to choose between
There are a couple of important considerations though. The first is that should the
one of the satellite offers or the older WiMax and similar products. If your require-
speed fall below 2Mb then the quality of calls will also fall and this may not be ac-
ment is low or you only require broadband for short periods then a dongle that uses
ceptable to you. Think about the quality of calls made over Skype and how some are
your mobile service may be a better option, subject to signal quality.
of poor quality, this is the experience you may have from time to time if your local
network is busy.
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In fact only about 20% of homes have access to a 2Mb speed. Ask a close neighbour
ready have a traditional broadband service and want to make the line rental savings
if they are using the service and if it is acceptable before you commit to it.
this option has you will be charged to transfer the service, which is a reflection of
the charges that your supplier will incur. Most customers choose to move onto this
The second important consideration is that if your broadband fails you will not be
service following improvements in the local area that brings the option to them for the
able to make calls either. If you have a mobile phone and live in an area where the
first time. Do remember that you do not have to move to a new provider under these
reception is good this may not be a problem. If not then coping with urgent or emer-
circumstances as nearly all companies are able to offer this product to you.
gency situations may be difficult.
A full range of call packages is available from most
providers. Do remember that packages offered by
If you have been sold a ‘dégroupage total’
the main French companies are designed to meet
service and find it is unsatisfactory
the needs of the majority of their customers – the
because of poor call quality, do not
French. The advantages to expats of buying their
expect that by moving to a different
provider things will improve. The poor quality will be because the speed
of the service on your line is too slow meaning you have no alternative
but to transfer to a standard broadband service.
services from a specialist are dealt with elsewhere
and for most will represent better value than taking services from the four big companies. So if you
are tempted by a slightly lower headline monthly
Do remember that any sales approach from a call centre on behalf of one of the
charge do also consider whether this saving will
major companies will be trying to sell on cost. The experience of many is that they
be more than offset by the higher cost of calls you
do not make the simple and easy line speed tests and are quite happy to sign you up
make outside of the call package, or in general if
for a service that could be inappropriate – all they are interested in is their commis-
you make few calls.
sion! So do look for a company that does not pay their sales staff commissions and is
genuinely interested in a long term relationship with you. Do remember that most of
Standard broadband (dégroupage partiel)
these contracts are for a 12 month minimum duration. If the service is unacceptable
you will have to pay the balance of the contract and a cancellation fee. Just to rub
More people take this service than any other. The
salt in your wounds Orange will charge you another installation fee just to reactivate
service requires a standard telephone line and
the voice side of your telephone line, and once that is live you will have to pay for a
utilises the broadband spectrum of the telephone
new standard broadband service to be activated!
line. It does not affect the function of the call side
of the telephone line in the way the now outdated
Most companies have a fair usage policy but in practice domestic users find for all
dial-up service did so both can be used at the same
practical purposes there is unlimited upload and download usage.
time. In addition, provided the broadband speed is
fast enough, you can in effect have a second tele-
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If ‘dégroupage total’ is the service you want and you already have a telephone num-
phone line on the broadband service, which again
ber you will be given the option of retaining it, which you may find helpful. If you al-
does not affect the normal telephone service. It
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comes with its own telephone number and most providers offer call packages on it.
Only Orange is able to offer a service that can be suspended and reactivated to
The quality of calls made over it will be dependant on the speed of the service which
match your times of residence in France. It is associated with a low speed but this is
will fluctuate depending on local conditions prevailing at the time the call is being
often satisfactory for most needs. As Orange owns the national network they have
made. You will need to connect a phone to your modem to access this service.
a monopoly position and do not make this service available for other companies to
manage and sell to their customers.
Connecting more than one computer with the same broadband
It is straightforward to use and if you only need a service for less than 6 months total
Most providers’ equipment allows two computers to be connected to the same router
in a year savings can be made with little inconvenience if you are willing to accept
by wires. If this is not convenient, for example if you wish to use a laptop in another
the slower speed.
room, or more than two computers need to be connected this can best be done with
a wireless router. Several providers supply these as standard.
However there is one problem that is likely to increase with time. In many areas,
particularly rural ones where many holiday homes are located, local exchanges have
Remember to set up your wireless broadband (wifi) security otherwise others can
issues with capacity, both for lines (see the advice on ‘multiplexé lines’ elsewhere)
access it without your authorisation or knowledge.
and broadband services. Orange customers using this service have found that on
returning from a period away and wishing to reactivate it they have been prevented
Broadband you can suspend from Orange
from doing so because of a lack of capacity. This means that Orange has treated
the suspension as a cancellation giving them the opportunity to sell the service to
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France has a significant number of holiday homes and owners who make infrequent
someone else, usually on a permanent contract. Whilst it is good business for them
use of their property are usually reluctant to pay for a permanent broadband service.
it is hardly customer focused!
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This is not a problem restricted to small hamlets as quite large villages are caught
This simple solution is too expensive for heavy use but it does mean that you can use
up in the problem. It is in one way understandable as the Mairie can be under con-
your broadband wherever there is a good mobile signal.
siderable pressure to meet the increasing demand for internet access. Residents
want broadband as without it there is a negative effect on property values, and local
Depending on other considerations you may feel that you do not need this due to
businesses need it to enable them to meet today’s changing commercial world. So
the rapidly increasing number of open wifi hot spots, so get to know these before
to give priority to these groups to encourage businesses to stay and others to move
subscribing to this service.
into these areas is understandable.
An excellent worldwide hotspot locator is provided by jiwire.com. You can access it
The lesson here then is not to regard your access to this service as guaranteed in
directly from this page, using the link above.
the long term.
Mobile phone dongles for low volume users
Satellite broadband
In Europe there are 13 million homes that cannot get any broadband and a further
If you have a good mobile coverage in your area and only require limited broadband
17 million that only have a very slow service. These under served areas are most
access this may be your best alternative. Compare your UK mobile provider’s tariff
often rural where it will be uneconomic to bring many onto the normal network. The
for using their service in France with offers from Orange and SFR and consider
reduced value of homes in these areas and the ability to attract or keep businesses
which tariff, including ‘pay as you go’, would be better for you. You can be online very
has important implications so some Départements have set up schemes that will
quickly.
subsidise the installation of satellite broadband; it is worth checking with your Mairie
to see if you qualify.
Do check the speed of the service offered as some are only three times faster than
dial-up.
To meet this growing need a new satellite system was launched in 2011 giving all
subscribers’ access to 10Mb no matter where they live in France. The latest KaSat
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satellite is 35 times more powerful than earlier satellite services and uses 82 spot
beams to deliver a fast speed everywhere. It is branded as ‘Tooway’ and there are
several companies selling it. The older satellite services, where the coverage was
via a single beam covering the whole of the serviced area, gave slower speeds the
further your property was from the centre of the satellite’s footprint. The alternative Orange ‘Nornet’ service (not to be confused with Tooway which they also sell),
claims speeds up to 6Mb but in many cases gives speeds little better than 1Mb.
Typical packages are:
Download & upload speeds
Monthly data Typical cost/month
08Mb
2Mb
08Gb
29.95€
12Mb
4Mb
16Gb
44.99€
18Mb
6Mb
26Gb
59.99€
18+Mb
6Mb
50Gb
99.99€
Under normal conditions you can use the table below as a guideline for data usage:
However satellite services are different to telephone line based broadband in several important
ways. The first is that you have your own link to the
satellite so it is not slowed down by other users (it is
uncontended), and the second is that the service is
not unlimited as is the case with traditional broadband. You chose the speed and amount of data, or
usage you want. Do look for special offers (typically
Download
Gb required
2
music albums
0.10Gb
5
minute video clip
0.10Gb
1
low definition movie
0.75Gb
40
hours of web surfing
1.00Gb
8
hours of internet radio
1.00Gb
1
high definition movie
4.50Gb
unlimited data) that are available from time to time.
You will need to install a small dish and a modem and this can be self-installed as
The satellite service is not vulnerable to line faults
there is a video to help, but you should be a competent DIY person (you cannot use
and weather conditions and is therefore more reli-
an existing Sky dish as that only receives and you will need to transmit data as well).
able.
There will have to be a clear line of sight to the satellite, so there must be no obstructions from nearby high buildings or trees. The orientation of the dish is 10 degrees
It is expensive to watch television, play games or
east of south. Professional installation costs start from 199€.
download films using broadband satellite, so understanding how it works is important. You get a
monthly allowance and this should be used evenly,
if not your speed will be slowed down for a time,
Please see our appendix, addressing satellite FAQs that you may wish to refer to.
WiMax
returning to normal later. This is often called a ‘slid-
78
ing window’ of access. The rate at which you use
This is like an enormous wireless transmitter, covering several miles (a village or
your allowance is halved if you use the service in
group of villages) behaving somewhat like a wireless ADSL. You pay to connect to
the small hours of the night. Alternatively you can
it and receive fast internet. It is not available in all areas or from all companies. Also
either choose a faster service with more capacity
the service requires a clear line of sight between the transmitter and the end user’s
or buy a booster token that will get you over a short
dish. There has been very little recent investment in this product and it is unlikely to
term peak of use.
be the service of choice for many.
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Chapter 8
uk
Setting up your PC ...
... on your new broadband service
All suppliers of broadband services will provide you
with detailed written instructions on how the service
must be set up. This usually includes full colour diagrams showing all components and cables. If you
have ordered the service together with a new telephone line do remember that the two services will
not go live on the same day. Your telephone line will
be the first service to go live, with your broadband
taking a further two to ten days before it comes into
service. Many people believe this is an indication of
Great technical support ...
... when you really need it!
poor French service but the delay is no longer than
UKtelecom’s technical support services are:
If you have set up broadband services before it
that in the UK, for example, as getting a broadband
service on a line does require additional work at
your local exchange.
will take you very little time to connect everything
together. Do remember that when you connect a
Free!
PCs, MACs,
iPads & other
devices
supported
modem to the broadband service for the first time,
In
English
and especially if it programmes the username and
password automatically for you, you will have to
wait a further 10 minutes or so before you can go
online.
If you have access to free calls or have subscribed
If you want to get started quickly and enjoy
the unlimited downloads click here!
to a call package through your broadband do remember to connect your handset to the telephone
point in your modem. If you make calls with it
plugged into the normal telephone socket they will
or +44 (0)1483 477 100 from the UK
www.uktelecom.net
[email protected]
be charged for.
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Without some previous experience setting up this type of service you may experi-
Lack of IT skills
ence a ‘flat pack furniture moment’, where for no apparent reason things do not work.
Providers may offer limited support, perhaps 30 free minutes after which you may
Here are some of the things we have found our customers have needed help with in
be charged for any additional time you require. For example, Orange provides sup-
the past – the information may help you avoid frustrating situations.
port in French for which it charges a premium rate of 0.38 cents a minute, limited to
a maximum of 10 minutes. If your problem is not resolved within this time you have
Getting your broadband to work
to redial, usually speak to a different person, and go through the basic questions all
over again before they can get on to the problem.
There are four common obstacles to getting your service live, these are:
Problems with your PC
✘
✘
✘
✘
Language
Support to fix problems with your PC is not something all providers will help you with
as they are not selling this service and have no liabilities in this area.
Lack of IT skills
You may be using a PC that is somewhat aged and may have accumulated viruses
Problems with your PC (such as viruses)
along the way, and help may be required to get it ready to work with your broadband
Incorrect telephone wiring in your house
service. Be prepared to have to pay a local computer shop to assist if necessary.
Incorrect wiring
Language
If your command of French, especially technical French, is limited you would be well
advised to choose a provider with an English language support service. There are a
number to choose from.
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As you may know, filters have to be used on telephone sockets to ensure the operation of broadband. However, if you are using extension cables as well this will cause
difficulties. Make sure you check with your provider what is needed before you try to
get the service working.
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Alarm systems
Unlike calls made over an ordinary telephone line where there is exclusive use of the
If you have an alarm installed and hard wired to your telephone line it will prevent
line whilst it is being used, broadband calls are carried over the internet. When this
your broadband service from working. You must ensure it is connected via a master
is done voice is converted into small data packages. This can be likened to a call
filter, as will be the case for other devices.
being made up of a lot of small railway carriages. The quality breaks down when the
couplings between the carriages disengage. The result is that syllables and whole
Assistance to set up problem computers
words may be lost resulting in the listener hearing clipped words, or missing com-
may take a long time so cost and ease
plete words. If the problem is sufficiently serious the call drops out and the number
of communication are considerations.
will have to be redialled.
Choose a provider with a freephone
number for technical support that operates an unlimited service, and
There are a number of possible reasons for this loss of call quality. It may be that
check that the support is also available in English.
the distance between the first entry point in your house and the local telephone
At UKtelecom we provide free English language support via a French free-
exchange is such that the signal is poor. Alternatively it might be congestion on the
phone number which will save you time and money, so long as this is on a
broadband service itself as the service is contended, meaning that several users
fair usage basis.
in the area share your access to the service. This is often more noticeable when
@
schools are closed and children return home and go online. There is nothing that can
Providing a second telephone line
be done to improve this situation at present, so subscribers have to make the choice
to continue to use the service or revert to traditional type phone calls.
Your broadband service will usually include a virtual second telephone line with a different number, however if your broadband speed is less than 2Mb it may not be of an
Email addresses
acceptable quality. This comes at no extra cost and means two separate conversations can be held at the same time. This requires a separate phone to be connected
If you already have an email address that is not specific to a particular broadband
to the back of the modem in the telephone socket.
provider, for example Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo, do think carefully before moving to
an email address provided with your new service. You may want to change your
There are a couple of quirks with this second line:
●
●
broadband provider at some time in the future so using the email address they give
Calls can be received on your landline number in the usual way, but incoming
you will mean on leaving their service you will lose your email address. It may be far
calls will also be able to be answered on the telephone attached to your mo-
better to keep using, or to sign up for, a free address so you do not have to get your
dem
contacts to amend their records for you.
Call packages are available for both telephone lines and broadband telephone
calls
If you opt for a package on your broadband line you need to be aware that to benefit
from the package you can only make calls with the phone connected to your modem.
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Chapter 9
What should I do if ...
... my broadband stops working?
It has taken a relatively small number of years between most people not having broadband to most
regarding it as essential to their way of life. As a result when the service under performs or worse still
stops working people can get highly agitated and
sometimes very quickly. They will put pressure on
their supplier to get the problem fixed immediately.
There are a couple of things to bear in mind. Firstly,
many people use their broadband for some business activity. However the majority do not choose
to pay for a business or professional service because of the higher cost which ensures their faults
are given priority and repaired more quickly. In any
event no broadband provider indemnifies its customers against commercial losses, so no matter
what you use the service for it is worth spending a
little time finding out how you can get back online
with minimum delay.
There is also a misapprehension that the
fixing of repairs takes longer in France than
a person’s country of origin.
Our experience is that this is not the case
Help your supplier to help you by making some
simple checks before calling for assistance. Don’t
forget that a fault on your landline can prevent
the broadband service operating. There are still
a small number of customers who simply cannot
accept that this is the case, which is rather like
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complaining to a car manufacturer that a car does not work when you have not put
If rebooting your modem does not resolve the problem the next thing is to check that
any fuel in it!
the telephone line is working. If you can make and receive calls then the probability
is that there is a fault with the broadband service. If you cannot make or receive calls
Below we look at some of the most frequently experienced problems.
this is likely to have affected your broadband service. Look at the section on line
faults in Chapter 5 to see how to best overcome this problem. Any good provider
Nonspecific problems
will be able to check the service on your line remotely and they may also be able to
remotely check the serviceability of your modem. (Remember, if you have elected to
There are many times when a service fails for no apparent reason. Many of these
have a ‘dégroupage total’ service you will not have a normal telephone line service
are associated with some work being undertaken at the local exchange, which can
to make calls.)
temporarily break the service. The solution is quick and simple – just reboot your
modem. This is done by simply switching off the power to your modem and after 30
Checklist:
seconds switching it back on. The modem will then seek to re-establish its connection with your supplier which may take perhaps 2 minutes.
If this does not resolve the problem you can also reset the modem. Most modems
•
Check the power supply to the modem is live
•
Check the modem is plugged in
•
Check the lights on the modem are showing:
will have a reset button that you should depress while there is power to the modem.
- PWR (power)
You should keep the button depressed for no less than 20 seconds and once this is
- LAN, ETH (Ethernet) or Access depending on the make of your modem
released your modem will re-establish its link to your broadband provider’s service.
- DSL or Traffic (the internet connection) again depending on the make of
Please be aware that with some services this may delete your username and pass-
your modem
word, so do be prepared to re-enter these to establish access to your service.
•
Check the phone is working
If these are only partially successful, demonstrated by only some of the indicator
If you have not used your broadband service for some time you may find that it works
lights on the modem illuminating, the equipment might have been damaged by a
as expected but none of the lights on the modem are illuminated. There is nothing
power surge. This is dealt with elsewhere.
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wrong with your equipment – it has simply gone into energy saving mode and your
•
Unplug the filter from the telephone socket, remove the filter and connect the
service provider can tell you how to revert to the normal mode.
telephone directly and make a call whilst the broadband is not in use. If the line
is clear and the sound quality is good it means the filter is faulty
Fluctuation in broadband speed
•
Remove all filters and phones and repeat the test individually to identify the
faulty one
Unless you are using a satellite broadband service, or are paying for a premium
service, you will be sharing access to the internet with others in your locality. This
Replacement filters are inexpensive and can be purchased at many supermarkets
is known as contention. The more people in your ‘group’ that are online the slower
and electrical outlets
the speed of the service, this particularly affects uploading and downloading larger
files.
A new customer had only been
This is not a fault with the service and therefore it cannot be ‘repaired’.
using our broadband service for a
few weeks when it stopped working
for no apparent reason.
Noise on telephone calls
Your broadband service provider will have advised you to install a filter at each socket
where you are using a telephone as part of the process of installing the service. This
separates the low frequency voice calls from the high speed data traffic and ensures
that voice calls are of good quality. From time to time a filter will fail. If you think a
faulty filter may be the cause of poor call quality carry out this simple check:
We undertook all the usual remote tests on the line and broadband
service which showed no fault on the system. Only after extensive further
work were we able to pinpoint the problem.
The line carrying the service was on poles running alongside the road up
to the property. This stopped working because the neighbour, a farmer,
had erected an electrical fence to keep his livestock in the field adjacent
to our customer’s house. Its close proximity to the telephone line was
stopping the broadband from working.
Is the fault with your PC?
If you have installed new software or changed any settings on your PC do consider
if this could be the cause of any problem. Changes to your settings may disable
your broadband and you need to let your provider know if this is the case. If this is
the cause you will need to resolve it yourself, having recourse to a computer repair
company if necessary. Your broadband provider will not be able to assist you in this
area.
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Chapter 10
When additional ...
... equipment helps & when it causes more
problems
A customer had been using our
broadband service success-
Extension Cables
fully for a number of years. He
had two PCs and a laptop connected to the service.
It seems that all too often the sockets for your telephone and broadband services are
in the wrong place and the usual solution is to use an extension cable to be able to
He complained bitterly that the service was not working as his
arrange things as you want.
laptop could not access the service whilst his PCs could and it
took an inordinate amount of time to demonstrate that the fault
Unless you have experienced problems with ex-
was with his laptop, not the service!
tension cables in the past you may simply purchase whatever is most easily available. However
Viruses & spyware
there are two distinct types of cable, either with a
flat profile where the internal cables lie alongside
It is a sad fact of life that there are individuals who seek to maliciously cause damage
each other or with a round cross section where
by infecting PCs with viruses and these can result in your service not working prop-
the cables are twisted within the protective outer
erly. There are many inexpensive products available that are simple to install and for
cover.
most threats they provide complete protection. They will also provide protection from
malicious information gathering software, so with more of us carrying out financial
If the extension cable is to be used in conjunction
transactions online there are compelling reasons to get this type of protection.
with a broadband modem it is recommended that
you purchase an extension cable with a round
cross section as this will be less affected by local
interference. Sources of interference are typically any electrical component in the vicinity that is
switched on and off, causing small power surges.
This will include virtually all lights and equipment
connected to your power sockets. As they are
operated the switch will generate a small spark
that you may have seen on occasions and this
interferes with the broadband service. However
round cross section extension cables are far less
prone to being affected by the interference.
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It is worth adding a simple note of caution here. Most accidents happen in the home
you can purchase these adaptors before you leave the UK which will make things a
and electrical and other cables are a frequent cause of trips, so do try to avoid using
lot easier at a time when you could do without unnecessary distractions.
extension cables across doors and try to keep them against walls etc. If you need to
have a broadband signal in another room use your modem’s wifi facility. If you want
Surge protectors
to have the service in another building, consider using a wireless extender as an
alternative to a cable. These are discussed below.
Most people will have heard about the importance of using surge protectors to prevent damage to PCs and peripheral equipment. Everyday domestic appliances when
Using your UK handsets
switched on or off can cause power surges – for example fluorescent lights, washing
machines, tumble dryers and refrigerators all pose risks.
You cannot have failed to notice that the French telecom network uses large flat
94
cream coloured plugs and appropriately shaped sockets to receive them. DIY outlets
The use of surge protectors is more important in France than some other countries
sell adapters that will allow you to connect a RJ11 plug into the French socket, but
as there can be a much higher incidence of storms and other events that are as-
you will also need another adaptor to convert a UK/BT plug into a RJ11 plug. By us-
sociated with big power surges on the electrical supply network, severe enough to
ing the two together you can still use your old handsets. If you are in the process of
damage domestic equipment. Often damage is covered by your insurance policy,
moving from the UK to France this is just another thing to add to your ‘to do list’ but
however if you have a modem supplied by your provider and this is damaged it will
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not be replaced free of charge with the cost of replacement being several times more
●
than the cost of appropriate protection. If your PC is damaged then the cost will be
even more significant.
Maximum surge energy – this is measured in joules, the higher the joules
rating the higher the protection provided
●
Maximum surge current – this is the maximum non-repetitive surge that can
be discharged by the surge protector, and is indicated in amperage with the
Most surge protectors are incorporated into multiple socket extension cables because of the desirability to have all devices connected to the PC protected, as they
higher amperage providing the better protection
●
Clamping voltage – this is the level at which the surge protector activates
can relay a power surge to the PC as well. If you are using one incorporating an
itself to cut off the power surge. Measured in volts, the lower the clamping
extension cable do remember to uncoil it before use as otherwise this will generate
voltage the better the product
heat and with it associated risks.
●
Three channel protection – not all products protect all three channels. Make
sure you select a device that protects all three, ie live and neutral, neutral and
Be aware that even low level energy surges can over time lead to PC hardware failure and they can cause your PC to crash or corrupt software and data.
earth and live and earth
●
Safety thermal cut out – years of protection or protection against just one
high surge can result in internal components of the protector degrading result-
The general advice is that in the event of an electrical storm all sensitive equipment
ing in a rise in temperature and combustion. The better products will incorpo-
should be unplugged from the mains. What is not so widely known is that your tele-
rate a safety cut out
phone line can also deliver a power surge, so do consider unplugging it if a storm is
●
Surge indicator – as with any device of this type it can fail or be damaged
particularly bad. This is because surge protectors are not lightening arrestors and
by a power surge resulting in it no longer offering the protection intended. You
therefore will not protect your equipment from lightening strikes.
may not be aware of this unless the product has a neon indicator confirming
that it is undamaged. These are usually green and are alongside the red neon
As with extension cables, not all surge protectors offer the same level of protection.
‘power’ indicators. If you do not have this indicator on your device you cannot
Here are some key product features to look for when making your purchase:
be certain that it is providing the protection you have felt was important
●
Response time – if a power surge occurs then you will want your protector to
respond with the minimum of delay. The typical response speed is 10 nanoseconds, fast enough for domestic situations
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Chapter 11
Social networking ...
Wifi extenders
... making your broadband even more useful
These are simple devices made up of a base unit that is plugged into a power socket
Social networks are having an impact on the way families are keeping in touch, es-
near your modem and, using the electrical system in the house, take the broadband
pecially when they are in different countries. The easy ability to share pictures and
signal to anywhere else on the service. They are particularly useful if you have an old
videos on small group forums you can set up for your own group has resulted in half
stone property with thick walls that prevent the wifi signal’s transmission. Also they
the UK’s population using Facebook. Others use MSN and of course there is Twitter
are excellent if you need to get the signal to an outbuilding, say a gîte or an office,
and some other less powerful ways of keeping in touch for nothing.
as providing the outbuilding is connected to the same electrical service the system
will work.
Social networking was previously thought of as the province of the young, however
more and more of the older generation who have moved overseas see this as a
Then you simply plug the second component into an electrical socket in the location
good way to share news and photos, interesting stories and web links whilst avoiding
where you want to use your broadband. This second component has an aerial so you
the cost of international calls. Telecom companies have already seen a reduction in
will need a wireless card in your PC. Most laptops come with this facility.
telephone calls as a result of the growth of the use of social networks and text messaging.
You can find several manufacturers with a simple search. First try Amazon’s UK website for a range with all the product information in English, if this helps. However go
Setting up your own social network presence is quick, simple and free. These ser-
to their French website to order as it will then come with the correct plug pins. There
vices are web based and do not require a high
are many other websites so it may pay to shop around.
internet speed so are likely to be suitable even if
your broadband service is slow. Simply visit the
Security cameras
website of your chosen forum, fill out the online
form and get to know your way around it. Much
If you spend a lot of time away from your property, or simply want the additional
of it is intuitive and the more you use it the more
comfort of having additional security the latest generation of cameras linked to your
your friends and family will be aware of your
broadband service are very affordable and can be installed by competent DIY enthu-
presence so you could find that you are more ‘in
siasts. They will send you email or mobile alerts in the event that the motion sensors
touch’ than ever before.
are activated and can store information off site.
If you are going to become a regular user of social networks you may find it is cheaper to use a
‘pay as you go’ telephone service, so take your
time and get some good advice before you sign
up. If you are uncertain leave your call package
in place for a number of months as it can always
be cancelled later.
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Chapter 12
uk
Changing providers ...
... avoid surprise costs by doing this
correctly
It is often said that ‘the customer always has a choice’ but when exercising your
choice to move to a different provider you need
to do this with some care if the move is to be
beneficial and everything is to go smoothly. Here
are some things to bear in mind if you are to ensure a transfer with little or no disruption.
Transferring your line
rental
Change to a provider ...
... that looks after you!
If you are currently using Orange for your line
rental and are paying for this by ‘prélèvement’
you will know that the service is paid for bimonthly in advance. This will almost certainly mean
that when the line management is transferred to
How can
you get a
good
service?
Choose our
personal service
for a smooth
change to a
better deal
Cheap main
French
companies can
hide big
costs!
If you call UK mobiles and UK non geographic
numbers UKtelecom’s low rates will make a big
difference because they are designed
for people just like you!
your new service provider there will be a credit
on your account with Orange representing the
unused portion of the line rental. This will be
credited back to your account automatically. In
the unlikely event that you are paying on invoice
an appropriate adjustment will be made.
Other providers will usually only charge for line
rental one month in advance and will make an
appropriate adjustment on your final invoice.
As long as you only have a ‘pay as you go’ service on your line from Orange you will not need
or +44 (0)1483 477 100 from the UK
www.uktelecom.net
[email protected]
to send a letter of cancellation to them as your
new provider will take care of those aspects.
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Transferring your call package
you have a standard package. A number of our customers have timed the transfer of
their services around a holiday to avoid disruption.
If you decide to change your provider for your call package you will need to send a
letter ‘en recommandé’ (by recorded delivery) or else you will continue to be charged
by your previous supplier even though you cannot and are not using their service.
UKtelecom, we believe, is unique in accepting an email cancelling services which of
course is more convenient, saves you money and is quicker.
Try to plan your change of provider around
a holiday or a quiet time so any temporary
loss of service or disruption will be easier
to cope with.
Transferring your broadband service
Many customers have requested that their broadband service is ceased on a specific
Do not cancel anything without discussing the arrangements with your new provider.
date but have found that this hardly ever happens. Similarly the new provider can-
The situation that has to be avoided at all costs is where your new provider installs a
not guarantee their service will go live on a particular date as they have to rely on
broadband service for you on your line only to find that following installation your old
Orange’s subcontractors to undertake work, and they will not commit to doing this
provider ceases the line rental service. This is because when a line is cancelled all
on a specific date.
services on it are also cancelled. Your new provider’s broadband service will have
come with an activation charge, a minimum 12 month contract and also a cancella-
Services on your line
tion charge all of which will become payable in this event.
If you have had any of the services mentioned in previous chapters applied to your
Your new provider will discuss with you the correct order to transfer your services so
line, eg your number permanently withheld, they may be lost as a result of the trans-
that this costly situation is avoided.
fer. To ensure you have a like for like transfer do let your new provider know what
services you have and if you wish to retain them.
With any changeover there is a possibility of a loss of access to all services for a
number of days if you have a ‘dégroupage total’ product, or the loss of broadband if
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Chapter 13
Mobiles ...
The market
Whilst the international roaming charges are
much less than they used to be due to EU caps
you may wish to use your UK mobile with a
French ‘sim card’ to save money. If this is the
case do make sure you have it unlocked before
leaving for France.
If you spend time in both the UK and France and
use your mobile regularly in both countries you
may want to consider buying a dual ‘sim card’
handset. These automatically register with your
chosen provider’s network in each country so
they are a convenient option. Alternatively you
can explore the various offers UK mobile companies have for those who want to use their mobiles
outside of the UK and where savings could be
made on their standard tariffs.
As with any country in France there are more offers and, associated with them, more confusion
than is generally found in the fixed line market.
It seems hardly possible but this sector seems
to move more quickly as well, so it is not practical to go into detail in a book. Instead comment
is limited to some simple guidance on how you
may wish to examine the market when making a
decision about a new provider and how to move
to them.
Do remember that in this highly competitive market any new offer from one of the big providers
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will more than likely be followed by new offers from the others, so you may get an
unused credit after a relatively short period but there are others that do not so do
improved package without having to move your account. In assessing your needs
shop around.
you may wish to visit one of the shops your provider has around the country, however
some companies, eg Free, do not have the wide coverage of shops that the others
You may be aware of the very competitive offer made by Free in early 2012 and the
do. You will also find that the strength of the mobile signal provided by different com-
huge take-up they had. This was in no small part driven by the fact that the attractive
panies varies from area to area, so you may find it helpful to question the experience
launch deal was limited to a fixed number of new subscribers with later joiners having
of people in your area that use your intended new provider.
to pay a higher tariff. Their new customers did experience problems with accessing
the service because of congestion and capacity issues that saw large numbers leave
If you travel a lot within France you may also find that the level of national coverage of
your preferred company may vary depending on where you are and this might affect
your ability to use the service, so do check on these things in addition to price before
making any purchase. The main mobile companies have details of their coverage on
their websites. SFR’s coverage for example can be found on www.couverture.sfr
after a very short period of time. The message here is probably that anything that
looks too good to be true probably is not the bargain you hoped for.
Do remember to check the cost of making calls to international destinations as these
will vary. As the majority of customers will be French they will have a different call
profile to expats, who will normally make a larger number of international calls, in
the same way as their call packages for fixed line services are aimed at a different
Some providers include subsidised phones and this may be important to you if you
market. The cost of calling overseas mobiles can vary so include this in calculating
like to upgrade your handset from time to time; but whoever you use you will be able
if you will save money by moving. The headline figures are designed to be attractive
to take with you your phone and existing French number if subscribing to another
but the likely total cost may be more than you expect!
French provider.
Contractual considerations
Once you have chosen the network you want to use do look carefully at the types of
contract available. Many people restrict the use of their mobiles to a minimum be-
If you entered into a minimum contract with your current provider this may have
cause of the relatively high cost, and the cheapest way to access this type of service
already expired, so there will be nothing to stop you moving and there will be no
is with a prepaid ‘pay as you go’ call package. A number of these contracts remove
cancellation fees.
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If you are in a minimum one year contract you will have to pay the remaining months
Your old company will contact you by text to confirm the date when your number will
in full.
be transferred. Your new company will also confirm by text when your new service
will be live.
If you originally signed a two year contract and are already in your second year you
will only have to pay a quarter of the remaining monthly payments. If you are in the
Replace your old ‘sim card’ with the new one on this date.
first year of a two year agreement you will have to pay all of the payments due in the
first year together with a quarter of the payments due in the second year.
How to unlock your French phone
How to keep your number
If your phone was purchased from your old operator it is highly likely that you will not
be able to use your new ‘sim card’ until the phone has been ‘unlocked’. As long as
You need to be proactive if you want to keep you mobile number. Follow these few
you have owned the phone for more than 3 months unlocking it is free. If not a charge
simple steps and all should be well.
of 76€ is made.
Call 3179 using your mobile and ask for your RIO number (‘relevé d’identitié opéra-
You will need to have the phone’s IMEI code (‘international mobile equipment iden-
teur’). The operator should pass this to you together with the end date of any obliga-
tity’). Simply type *#06# into your phone.
tion period associated with your contract. You should also receive this information
by text.
Give this number to your provider and ask them to unlock your phone. You can do
this by phone or via the internet. They will normally have completed this for you within
Give this number to your new provider and arrange to set up a new contract with
five working days.
them.
Your new operator will cancel your contract with your current company, so do not
cancel it yourself.
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Chapter 14
Useful contacts ...
Suppliers
Call
UKtelecom:
France (Freephone):
Open Monday to Friday 09:00-18:30
Tel: 0805 631632
For all enquiries, sales and support calls
UK: 0044 (0)1483 477100
www.uktelecom.net
[email protected]
Teleconnect
Tel: 0805 817000
Phonexpat
Tel: 0805 102000
Orange English-speaking customer service: Tel: 09 69 36 39 00
Open Monday to Friday 09:00-17:00
Call centre open daily, 24 hours a day (24/7)
Tel: 3900
Call centre, calling from outside France
Tel: +33 800 100 740
Tel: +33 09 69 36 39 00
After sales service
Customer services
Tel: 1013
Technical assistance (24/7)
Tel: 1014
Technical assistance business line (24/7)
Tel: 3900
Call return (the last number to call your phone)
Tel: 3901
Orange voicemail
Tel: 3131
Tel: 3103
To call out of France dial exit code
00 followed by country code and
number
To call into France dial entry code
00 33 followed by French number
excluding 0
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Regulation Authorities/Consumer Protection
Emergency Numbers in France
ARCEP
Tel: +33 1 40 47 70 00
Who to call and what to say in an emergency...
(equivalent to OFCOM the UK regulator)
Tel: +33 1 40 47 71 98
(Autorité de Régulation des
www.art-telecom.fr
Service
Telephone
Communications Electroniques et des Postes)
Medical help/SAMU
15
7, Square Max Hymans,
Police/Police Nationale
17
75730 Paris Cedex 15
Fire & accident/Sapeurs Pompiers
18
SOS - all services (calling from a mobile)
DGCCRF (Direction Génerale de la
www.finances.gouv.fr/DGCCRF/
Concurrence, de la Consumation et de la
You have to provide:
Répression des Fraudes)
●
the location where assistance is needed
See website for list of addresses of local
●
the name and telephone number of the person for whom assistance is
required
agencies
UFC - (Union Fédérale des Consommateurs)
112
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Que Choisir
●
details of what happened, and if it is still happening
●
details of how many people need help
●
information of any weapons involved
See website for list of addresses of local
All emergency numbers can be reached from pay phones, without the use of a phone
branches
card or money.
General Information Sites (in French)
European SOS 112
ARCEP
click for web site
Consumer Information
112 can be dialled to reach emergency services - medical, fire and police - from
anywhere in Europe. This pan-European emergency number 112 can be called from
any telephone (landline, pay phone or mobile cellular phone). Calls are free. It can
Ariase
click for web site
for general advice on how to manage your
be used for any life-threatening situation, including:
●
contract with your supplier
Serious medical problems (accident, unconscious person, severe injuries,
chest pain, seizure)
●
Any type of fire (house, car)
●
Life-threatening situations (crimes)
SOS 112 website:
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/112/index_en.htm
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Appendix
uk
Satellite broadband frequently
asked questions
Something puzzling you? Then take a look below at our quick
FAQs. If you can’t find the answer you want, simply give us a
call on France (freephone) 0805 631632 or in the UK + 44 (0) 1483
477100 during office hours. Alternatively, if you’re online, email us
at [email protected].
UKtelecom’s satellite broadband service availability record over the past 12 months
Too rural for broadband?
Not with our satellite service!
Professional
installation
or
self install
High speed
for everyone
Available
anywhere
in France
was over 99.99% If you’re a customer experiencing a problem, please do check your
equipment first. If something’s still wrong, simply get in touch.
●
Broadband and satellite
●
UKtelecom’s Tooway service
●
(My) Installation
●
Technical questions
Broadband and satellite
● What is broadband?
Broadband means, very simply, a high-speed connection to the Internet that is ‘al-
Reliable, uncontended service with no
fluctuations and helpful advice so you choose
the best package. Now with higher data
allowances and a dedicated help line in the UK.
ways on’. It is significantly faster than the dial-up (56K) modems enabling you to view
web content and download files more quickly. It’s called broadband because it has a
much larger capacity to receive (and send) data.
● Can I really get reliable Satellite Broadband anywhere in the UK?
Yes – it really is as simple as that. Satellite broadband is available available in France
(and the UK as well). As long as there is electricity and you can see the sky, we can
or +44 (0)1483 477 100 from the UK
www.uktelecom.net
[email protected]
get you connected to Broadband wherever you need it.
www.uktelecom.net
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Our Tooway satellite broadband packages are not ideal for:
● How do I choose the service that’s right for me?
This will depend on what you will be using broadband for. Most satellite broadband
●
Some remote control software
packages are based around how much you use it. If you are using it for general
●
Certain VPN applications
surfing and emailing from home or a small office, our Tooway service could be the
●
Online gaming and peer-to-peer networking
right, cost effective solution for you. However, if you are downloading lots of videos,
sending very large files or you need to connect to a work network (VPN), it may be
If you want to do one or more of the above, we recommend, based upon many years
better to choose one of our proven business broadband solutions. If you would like
of providing high quality satellite broadband solutions, that you take a look at our
some free impartial advice please feel free to call us on 0805 631632 (freephone
Business Broadband section. These uses can be easily accommodated in our more
from France) or + 44 (0) 1483 477100 and we would be happy to help you.
specialised products and we are always happy to advise on such matters.
● How much data is required for common uses?
UKtelecom’s Tooway service
Under normal conditions, you can use the following information as a guideline:● What is ToowayTM?
Download
Gb required
Tooway is UKtelecom’s newest broadband satellite service. A reliable 8Mbps –
2
music albums
0.10Gb
18Mbps broadband connection is available wherever you live. UKtelecom offers a
5
minute video clip
0.10Gb
range of four monthly download packages which means that you only need to pay for
1
standard definition movie
0.75Gb
the service that is most suitable to your needs.
40
hours of web surfing
1.00Gb
8
hours of internet radio
1.00Gb
● Why should I get UKtelecom ToowayTM?
1
full HD quality movie
4.50Gb
UKtelecom Ltd supplies and installs Tooway satellite services throughout France.
Established in 2003, using experienced highly trained installers that work throughout
● Am I charged for the time my broadband modem or computer is online?
France, we install broadband and other digital services to hundreds of customers
No. With our broadband packages you pay a fixed amount each month for a fixed
each year. We are accredited by the British Standards Institute (BSI) to ISO 9002
volume of data no matter how often you use it. If you wish, if you have used up all of
(Quality).
your monthly data (like a pay as you go mobile) you can pay to top up with more data
We believe that any company that you invite into your home or business must be able
until the next month.
to demonstrate this standard as a minimum to give you the peace of mind that your
● Does satellite broadband have any limitations I should be aware of?
investment is the right one.
There are a few specialised uses that it is important to select the correct system for
but other than that, there is not much difference between satellite and other broad-
● What equipment do I need?
band services. Unlike some of our competitors, our packages accept direct connec-
You supply the computer; our trained installation engineer will install the satellite dish
tion to Apple, Linux, Unix or Windows operating systems.
(outside) and connect it to a modem (inside) and also set-up your wireless router if
you have purchased one from us.
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● How fast is UKtelecom ToowayTM?
● Are there any minimum requirements for computers?
We offer four standard Tooway packages – you choose which one suits your needs
No, most computers these days come with a network card or wireless option which
- 8Mbps, 12Mbps 18Mbps and 18MbpsMax. Satellite broadband works in a different
will allow you to connect to the internet.
way to a normal (ADSL) connection in that you don’t “share” your connection with
your neighbours.
● Can I integrate UKtelecom ToowayTM into a network?
Yes, it’s possible to connect the modem directly to a router, or other network LAN
You may have read in the press that many people that use ADSL pay for a system
device, to share the connection with other users. We can supply you with a suitable
that consistently fails to deliver the speed that they are paying for. For example, a
router with wireless capability.
recent UK Ofcom study reported that the average speed achieved by rural ADSL
customers paying for a 20-24Mbps service was in fact 3.3Mbps. Even our entry level
● Can I use a wireless router with UKtelecom ToowayTM?
Tooway 8 will provide a better download experience anywhere in France.
Yes. With a wireless router, anyone at your location can access the broadband connection without needing to physically connect to the modem (hence “wireless”). We
● Can I install it myself?
are happy to help you set this up properly (without any extra charges) when we in-
We recommend a professional installation by one of our trained installers or via our
stall your system to make sure it is both secure and working properly. The wireless
installer network. Nevertheless, self-installation is possible following careful antenna
router box may say “plug and play” but in our experience, it’s nice to let someone
assembly and pointing instructions. Particular attention is given to the pointing phase
who knows what they’re doing do the “plugging” and leave you to enjoy the “playing”.
which has to be much more precise than for television reception. There are free
We’re happy to recommend a wireless router if you need our help.
smartphone applications (“apps”) which you can also use to assist your DIY installation.
● Can I connect more than one user to the service?
Yes. Unlike some of our competitors, it is possible to connect the equipment directly
● Are email and other services included?
to a router, or other network LAN devices, to share the connection with other users.
UKtelecom Tooway supports the usual webmail applications like Hotmail, Gmail,
See the answer above about using a wireless router that will enable you to share
MSN and Yahoo but if you use an email client (E.g. Microsoft Outlook) you will re-
your connection with multiple users.
quire the use of an SMTP server to send your mail, as many ISP’s allow you to receive email but block you from sending. If that sounds like technical mumbo jumbo,
● Can I play online games with UKtelecom ToowayTM?
yes you will get an email address and yes, we’re happy to show you exactly how it
We do not recommend Tooway for certain types of online gaming due to latency (ie.
works. If you need email sending services we would be happy to recommend a third
the time it takes the signal to get up and down from a satellite 22,000 miles high). If
party provider.
your current broadband is appalling and you are desperate to do online gaming in a
remote location, our advice is to talk to our team about the options that we offer.
● Do I need a phone line?
No you do not.
● Can I use this equipment with my Apple Mac or Linux computer?
Yes. With all our services connection via non Microsoft Windows platforms is simple.
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119
● Are there limits to how much data I can transfer?
● What is my protected traffic usage?
Yes, each service is subject to a Fair Access/Fair Use Policy (FAP or FUP). The FAP
This depends on the monthly service option. Please use the table to check the ser-
has been designed to be as open and flexible as possible, while ensuring fair use for
vices.
all users. Unlike other services, where hard transfer limits apply over which you are
charged per additional MB, UKtelecom employ a Fair Access Policy.
● What happens if I exceed my traffic usage, will I be cut off?
No, you will not be cut off but your bandwidth will be severely reduced until you start
In summary this means that during peak usage times, heavier users (ie. those us-
the next monthly cycle. This is to help maintain a quality of service for all users.
ers already into the second half of their monthly data limits may experience some
reduction in their connection speed (a best endeavours basis), ensuring an equitable
● Can I buy more data if this happens ?
access for all users throughout the day. There are no hidden changes.
Yes – you have two choices. If you think that you would be better suited with the
speeds of data on the next package, we can upgrade you quickly, usually on the
● What is a Fair Access Policy?
same day that you ask us to. You will then start the new package with a full month’s
The Fair Access Policy has been defined by our satellite provider to enable each
data allowance. Alternatively, if you have just used a lot of data for a one off reason,
user to receiver a high quality internet access service via satellite. The FAP is imple-
you can purchase 1GB tokens which can be added to you account at anytime.
mented to prevent unfair use and an unacceptable use of the network.
● Is the Fair Access Policy applied 24 hours a day?
● Does the Fair Access Policy apply to both upload and download?
Yes.
Yes, traffic volume is measured on both the inbound and outbound connection and
is measured over five time periods, as shown in the table below.
● Can I check how much traffic I am using?
Yes, you can request a copy of your FAP graph from our support team or visit
Volume
Monthly Service Options
http://checkportal.skylogicnet.com.
Status
Tooway 8
Tooway 12
Tooway 18
Tooway18 Max
“Protected”
4,000 MB
8,000 MB
13,000 MB
25,000 MB
● How can I check what download or upload performance I am getting?
“Best Endeavours”
4,000 MB
8,000 MB
13,000 MB
25,000 MB
We recommend using: http://speedprobe.skylogicnet.com this will show both the up-
Total (monthly)
8,000 MB
16,000 MB
26,000 MB
50,000 MB
load and download speed of your service.
● What is Protected traffic?
● Can I get more advice on the Fair Access Policy if I’m still uncertain?
Protected traffic is the amount of traffic that can be used (upload and download)
Yes, a member of our support team will be happy to discuss any questions you may
before the Best Endeavours restrictions could apply. It is half (50%) of your total
have.
monthly allowance.
● Is the equipment/service mobile - can I use it at different locations?
The standard equipment is mobile in the sense that it can be used virtually anywhere
in Europe. All you have to do is arrange for it to be de-installed and re-installed.
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121
If you are looking for a transportable system that can be fixed to a vehicle/trailer for
● Do I need my landlord’s permission?
mobile use at events, working sites etc please contact a member of sales team on
If you do not own the building where the equipment is to be installed, you must get
0800 130 3131 and we will be happy to help.
written authorisation from the landlord approving the installation. UKtelecom will normally require a copy of this prior to installation.
● Will I need to buy any extra software?
As your broadband connection is ‘always on’, it is a good idea to install firewall soft-
● What happens if/when I move?
ware to protect you from any attempts by hackers to access the files on your com-
We are happy to advise on de-installation and re-installation charges. When plan-
puter. UKtelecom strongly recommends that you install suitable firewall and antivirus
ning your first installation, please give careful consideration to the location of your
software to protect your computer from unauthorised access from the internet. For
dish to minimise the likelihood of requiring a move.
example, ZoneAlarm is a handy personal firewall application, free for personal use
(see www.zonelabs.com). You will also need software as for any other service such
● Must I purchase the equipment?
as your internet browser and email client software. Commercial and free packages
That’s your choice. To receive the broadband service it is necessary to have the
are available and suitable and we’re happy to advise you on this subject.
satellite dish and relevant modem. UKtelecom provides the option of purchasing the
equipment outright at the time of order or having the hardware included as a part of
(My) Installation
the monthly charge. In this way, we are always responsible for making sure that your
system is working. If it breaks at any time, it is our responsibility to repair or replace
Please see our “How It Works” page for more information on the hardware and the
it for you.
installation.
● How long will it take to get installed and operational?
● Do I require planning permission or other permits?
We usually get customers installed within two to three working weeks. We do need
Though conditions may vary slightly from Département to Département, normally
to get all of your order paperwork correctly completed before we can start. This in-
planning permission is not required for your satellite dish provided you do not have
cludes your service agreement, direct debit or prélèvement mandate and initial pay-
other dishes on your building. If your building is a protected historical building or it is
ment for the hardware and/or installation. Our team will telephone you to carry-out a
in an area affected due to its proximity to one official permits will be required. Also,
quick and easy pre-Installation survey and to arrange a convenient installation date
if your location is within a short distance of an airfield, or similar, special conditions
if you have asked us to install your system.
may apply.
It is your responsibility to understand and comply with the rules and regulations re-
● What does a standard installation consist of?
garding the placement of equipment on the building you occupy. However, since it
The standard installation allowed for in the initial fee is as follows: mounting on a
is what we do for a living, we’re always pleased to offer you advice based upon our
standard brick or block wall at a height reachable on a standard double extension
knowledge and experience but any final decisions & responsibility do remain with
ladder, and not more than 30m from the proposed location of the modem.
you.
● What equipment do I need for broadband?
Put simply, a satellite dish (outdoors) and a small modem (indoors). Generally we
122
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123
provide a 74cm dish, however in some locations a larger dish may be required to
● Do I need additional software?
ensure strong signal strength. You will be advised in advance if a larger dish is nec-
No, as Avonline’s Tooway service is designed to be plug n’ play. We do however ad-
essary and if any additional costs apply.
vise you to use a hardware or software firewall and an anti-virus program. If you are
using a router then this will mask your ports and act as a basic firewall. If you don’t
Technical questions
have a router and/or you want a second line of defence, try downloading Zone Alarm
for a free firewall.
● I’ve heard of latency issues with satellite - what does this mean?
Due to the distance travelled by the signal to/from your computer and the internet
In addition to a firewall you must run some form of anti-virus software on any system
hub, via the satellite, all satellite technologies exhibit a small lag between commu-
that is connected to the internet.
nications. This delay is approximately 3⁄4 second (700 milliseconds). For many applications, it is barely noticeable but where the programme that you are running is
For example, AVG is a handy personal firewall application, free for personal use, and
frequently sending or receiving multiple smaller data files (eg online gaming) the
there are many others from Norton, McAfee etc.
effect can be more pronounced.
PLEASE NOTE: The above download links are offered for information only. UKtele● Why does a ping not work/give very slow response?
com is not responsible for any software you choose to download and install and can
Due to latency, when a network tool like ping typically sends small data packets,
therefore not offer any support for the above products.
this accentuates this issue. Try using the “ping -t -w 2000” address to get round this
problem. In our experience, there are much better and more reliable ways of testing
● Does the satellite service get affected by weather?
for this type of network.
The standard dish installation is designed to withstand 60mph winds. However torrential rain may cause a degraded service as signals can be somewhat reflected by
● How can I check what download/upload performance I am getting?
rain. Our systems automatically increase power levels to compensate for losses.
Go to www.degrouptest.com. This will give a good idea of your system’s performance.
You can also use UKtelecom’s FTP server to accurately check upload and download
performance. Please contact our technical support team to arrange a test.
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125
About us
UKtelecom has provided a full range of services to homes and small businesses in
France for many years and has established an industry standard of customer service
significantly better than the typical French experience. We also provide services to
UK businesses from the smallest companies to multi-site international businesses.
Our directors have many years experience in the telecoms industry and have ensured that good practice has been enshrined into all we do through our ISO 9002
accreditation, held since 2003.
The telecoms industry is a fast moving one, with most years seeing one or more new
products added to our long list of established value for money services. Our customers’ desire to use a single provider for their communication needs continues to drive
us to provide a comprehensive choice of services.
Candice Chemaly has worked in the telecommunications industry since 1997 and
has held various senior positions and directorships. These have enabled her to acquire valuable experience of the market allowing us to offer the best prices and customer service to the niche English speaking expat market in France. As Managing
Director she has overseen the continuous development of systems to bring speed
and efficiency to all that we do. Under her leadership the company has typically
grown by 40% each year demonstrating the success we have had in delivering services in a way not available from our competitors.
Bob Elliott has held directorships in several industries and has worked in the telecommunications industry since 2000. As Commercial Director he has secured agreements with the largest suppliers in France to ensure countrywide availability of services and with Candice has worked tirelessly to introduce systems and procedures
that give customers some of the best and quickest response times in the industry.
UK Telecom Limited
William House, 45 Bury Fields, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 4AZ
t: 00 44 (0) 1483 477100
e: [email protected]
www.uktelecom.net
f: 00 44 (0) 3306840299
w: www.uktelecom.net
127

Ultimate Guide

Transcription

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