telephone connection

[rockstitch]

There is a phone line into the house that I am moving into but it is disconnected, does anyone know how much it will cost to connect it and which is the best company to go to, or do you have to have it connected via French Telecom first and then choose a different company and what is the cost of this??????

[Martin963]

Well no one else has answered this,   so in an effort to provoke others I'll say what I think.

I believe that *some* ADSL providers will get a disconnected phone line working again on your behalf provided one signs up for their ADSL and VOIP phone package,  but this does NOT allow you to use the conventional phone system,  only VOIP.   I think Alice do this for example.

Personally I'd bite the bullet and get FT to reconnect it.   I daresay it'll cost more (a bit,  I don't know how much) but you then have a working "ordinary"  (non digital) phone line on which to build anything else such as ADSL and VOIP.   When you're certain that the line is reliable (after a few months) you can always get an ADSL provider to take the line over and have done with FT.

Where we are ADSL is far from reliable,   it often stops of an evening and local calls made via ADSL/VOIP are very poor in quality (although ones made back to Britain are normally very good).    So I use my FT service for local calls and ADSL for everything else,   but with the FT line "en secours" if Alice stops working.

Now you may find your line is totally rock solid,  but I'd be inclined to go my route at least to start with.

There!   Now everyone else will pile in with contrary advice.

Bon courage.

[Iancharlton]

I found this on their website: http://www.agence.francetelecom.com/vf/tel_maison/pdf/tarifs_fixe_ft.pdf. Under Abonnements, the first entry, €55. I think this applies to an existing line and I remember reading that it helps if you have the old occupier's phone number. Orange recommend that if you take over the old number, ensure the old account is closed on the day yours is re-activated.

If there isn't a line, you get charged for the engineer's time to string one from the nearest junction box.

I also found this: http://www.agence.francetelecom.com/vf/client/demenagement/frais.php

You could try the English-speaking helpline: 0800 364 775 from France, or +33 1 55  78 60 56 from the UK.

Hope this helps.

Ian