Neuf box

[Gardengirl]

I asked recently about phone lines etc, and had a couple of useful replies.

 

However, I need more help. In our new apartment there are sockets for telephone, TV aerial, and satellite TV and our main need is for internet connection.  We are also hoping that the internet will also give us BBC UK radio stations via a WiFi radio. 

 

I have been looking at the neufbox adverts at http://adsl.sfr.fr/offres-adsl/internet/ and would be grateful if someone can confirm that I have understood it right; my French isn't too bad, but there are words that wouldn't even mean anything to me in English! 

 

I believe the cost is €29.99/month plus an initial €20 to get the telephone line connected.  For that I think you get 20Mb internet connection, WiFi, free phone calls to various countries including France and UK, and 75 channels of television.  Assuming I’ve got that lot right,  am I right in guessing that the telephone is VOIP and, if so, will I be able to call and receive calls from all the numbers that you can with an ordinary phone.  Also, does anyone know what additional equipment would be needed for the TV?

 

Lots of questions – hope some of you can help out.

Thanks, Jo

[Clair]

The offer you link to is dependent on your area being "dégroupée". See this page for the tariffs.

There is no difference on receiving calls and a lot of calls to landlines will be free. Here is the list of what it entails.

This is the page on Neufbox television.

[Gardengirl]

Thanks for that, Clair. What does 'dégroupée' mean, please, and how would I find out if we come under this?

Jo

[Clair]

Try this test with either your own tel number or a neighbour's if you do not have a tel number.

The results should tell you what services are available.

Broadly speaking, dégroupage means that France Telecom has opened its monopoly to other telecom suppliers.

Some areas, mainly large towns, have dégroupage total, where both telephone and ADSL services are available from FT as well as other telecom suppliers (dégroupage partiel is where FT provides a telephone line and other telecom operators offer ADSL).

Some areas are not dégroupées, but telecom suppliers can rent the telephone line from FT on your behalf and include it in a package with ADSL (it's called ADSL nu, which is what I have).

[Gardengirl]

Clair, that was really useful. We've had a quick look at the sites and will study further later. We've found we aren't dégroupée from one of the sites - so we are definitely a bit better informed now.

Thank you so much for your help.

Jo

[Danny]

That will also mean that you are limited to Internet and telephone (no TV) and it will be 34.90 a month. Also the speed will be a lot less. Bear in mind that this is with no telephone line as Clair has. That means if your modem goes pear shaped you will have no telephone at all. With Neuf, VOIP calls are only free to landlines not to mobiles or non geographic numbers - 0820 etc. Also, if you want VOIP international calls with Neuf you obliged to not have a FT time and go ADSL nu (also like Clair)

I would advise more research - ask more questions if you are not sure

Ther are lots of threads on these topics if you have a search

Danny

[Nigel]

Have a look at Free.fr...we pay 29.99 per month and get all french calls free ( except mobile) and most international ( inc UK USA spain etc)...also ADSL...we do not have a FT line and all seems to work well although we  did have a problem that when it went dark the line went off...but now fixed and no probs