Sans engagement

[Hoabriat]

 I am looking for a provider that offers a full service plan without the 12 month subscription, with an easy activate/deactivate option.

I come to France for a few weeks twice a year.

Once I am back in the USA I have no need for the monthly services that they force on you in France.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

H.

[BJSLIV]

I am looking for a provider that offers a full service plan.......

For Phone Line, CellPhone, Broadband. Dial-Up Internet?............

[Hoabriat]

Everything. Pay as you go. merci

[Steph]

You can use Wanadoo.fr without any subscription charges .. just pay as you go .. ie. each time you dial up it will be charged to your bill. From memory I think it's "access libre". Before I was permanent in France I used www.clara.co.uk which allowed international roaming, I could use the same account in the UK and France and other countries, just had to change a few settings. Not sure whether it's available in the States, again you can have a pay as you go option.

Steph

www.pwb53.com

 

[Hoabriat]

Hi Steph,

Thanks for the info. I think I know what you mean. I have used freesurf.fr and free.fr as well as tiscali with this setup. The thing is that you still have to maintain a phone line.

I wonder if it is possible to activate/deactivate your full package (including phone, cell, broadband, etc) - as you come and go.

I am quite happy with my France Telecom account as it allows me to enable and deactivate it - online, when I need it. But it covers only the telephone. Wanadoo seems a whole different animal. If they linked my France Telecome to Wanadoo - there would be no problem but the current Wanadoo plans require a 12 month commitment.

Currently I pay about 10 Euro a month to Tiscali, all year round. I would rather pay $50-$70  a month for a better connection - but for the time when I am actually in France.

Finding the information is hard!

From my experience, you can't always rely on what the French customer service  tells you. For example, I was told by France Telecom that it was  "pas possible" to switch my phone line from primary to secondary because a secondary line is only for those who have a primary account. It is not true. You can convert your line to secondary (and activate/deactivate it online) regardless whether you live in France or not. But it took some research to figure it out - against the advice given by the French Telecom agents in Paris.

Likewise, I think either Tiscali or Alice or France Telecom might have a similar plan for internet. My French is just not good enough to cut through their wordiness.

Since a lot of people go to France only for a few weeks there must be something to meet our needs!

[Steph]

Hi, if you just want a dial up connection you can use Wanadoo ... go to

www.wanadoo.fr

click on "Internet bas debit" then "vous n'etes pas encore client" then "access libre" - which is free access - Sans engagement and Sans abbonnement (spelling) ... they'll ask for your landline number and once subscribed will send you all the info to access the internet. You just change your internet settings each time you are in France to access email and the internet. I didn't request the CD installation, but reconfigured my settings myself.

I was using this until recently, and all the call costs go onto your France Telecom bill. It's not the cheapest but at least you don't have to pay a monthly subscription and worked for me when I was travelling between the UK and France ..

Steph

www.pwb53.com

 

[Adriana]

Is this of any help?

http://www.quimper.agence.francetelecom.fr/internet.htm

[Hoabriat]

Hi there Adriana,

It looks like you undertand what I am saying!

100H série limitée (50 000 abonnements) - ADSL Xtense500
42,38€ soit 278F TTC/mois 

I need to figure it out. The page is all in French ;-)

 

MERCI

[BJSLIV]

100H série limitée (50 000 abonnements) - ADSL Xtense500
42,38€ soit 278F TTC/mois 

A few thoughts........

Is this just a regional offer, as it is from a local office site rather than Wanadoo itself?

You can only switch it off once a year, for a max of two months.

Its slow 512k

Its not cheap.

But most importantly,the price is quoted in Francs translated into Euros, so  I suspect that the page is at least 3 years out of date!

 

 

[Hoabriat]

I guess I have to keep looking

[Hoabriat]

France is so small. It would be incredibly simple to install a Wi-Fi antenna on top of every Hotel de Ville - to cover the whole village with broadband.

[BLTflyer]

Small?? its Huge.

[Opalienne]

[quote user="Hoabriat"]France is so small. It would be incredibly simple to install a Wi-Fi antenna on top of every Hotel de Ville - to cover the whole village with broadband.[/quote]

For some of us, France is a large country.   And there are parts of it that are very poor indeed.   I think the number one priority in many communes would be to provide services that help those who are most in need - for example, in the small town nearest where we live there is an 'epicerie sociale' that sells food to poorer people  at cheap prices.   Somehow I feel that broadband access for all would be a very long way down the priority list.  

[Hoabriat]

With all due respect I disagree.

Broadband is one of the most urgent necessities.  Perhaps France's last hope.

In Asia, it is understood as the core of the new economies. If it is not comprehended, France is  likely to decline gradually to a kind of large retirement community, which is what seems to be happening.

Yes, France is big as a country (at least by Europe's standards) but being so compact it is amazing that they do not provide complete and free broadband.

I think it's  fiscally petty and politically near-sighted.  It would cost nothing or near nothing to install  community-based Wi-Fi services everywhere. One antenna can cover the whole village. In America, people tend to share broadband, it makes no sense to buy your own pipe if you live within a few yards! But again, there is no this stigma of "L'administration" to authorize everything.

In many countries, all airports and thousands of locations offer free broadband. By contrast,  come to Paris - and at Charles de Gaulle you can only  connect to CDG's own website! The so called "free" Wi Fi cafes require that you buy something first and then you ASK them for a Wi Fi card (which is limited to 20 min anyway).  And there are no public libraries with free access to everybody. I first thought it was petty.

But it's really sad.

The benefits of universal  broadband would be enormous, especially for the young people, with all France's unemployment and social issues.

For example, I employ people from India, Russia, Ukraine -  via the internet. We all work together, helping each other, sharing the benefits.  It's a truly global market where everyone is in the same boat, regardless of the race, nationality, location, etc. Only your brains matter (but you have to have broadband to show them).

In France, it does not seem to occur to many people that one can be part of the global economy,  make good money (as much as you want, legally)  - and live any way you want  - anywhere, even in most isolated  rural villages.There is a tremendous demand for talent!  Instead, there is all this whining about food stamps and soup kitchens.

Business is only one of the many aspects. The other  issues involve cultural, psychological and social integration.

"You are not just one  lost soul in Shanghai or Poitou-Charentre.  The world is standing by - waiting for you.  Hello, wake up!"

[powerdesal]

Hoabriat,

An interesting response, you are of course fully entitled to your

personal viewpoint. However, I do not imagine that there will be a lot

of agreement with you on this forum.

Perhaps you should stick to being in a wonderful, civilised country

with free broadband and leave the rest of us to our whining about soup

kitchens etc. I dont personally need an evangelist telling me how

France can be improved. I leave that to the French, its their country.

Many Regards

[Opalienne]

It's not whining for poor people to want subsidised food.   In the village where we live there are serious problems of poverty, mainly among the elderly and retired.   For example, our closest neighbours live on €1000 a month.   Nothing would change for them with the advent of broadband,  and they couldn't possibly begin to afford a computer even if they knew what they could do with it.  Neither do they need a computer for social integration - they don't have any problems with that.   I agree that for the future it's important that France doesn't miss out, but you can't blame people like them for concentrating on the present.   And that's why the primary emphasis on France is on social welfare rather than technology.  

I for one am glad to think that if there were a major natural disaster, we would not have a New Orleans situation here, but rather people (especially the old and poor) would be looked after, at least in their most basic needs.

[Owens88]

>France is so small. It would be incredibly simple to install a Wi-Fi antenna on top of every Hotel de Ville - to cover the whole village with broadband.

 

France has small villages /towns and so it would. In fact I know people without phones who would benefit quickly.

John

 

[Owens88]

>From my experience, you can't always rely on what the French customer service  tells you. For example, I was told by France Telecom that it was  "pas possible" to switch my phone line from primary to secondary because a secondary line is only for those who have a primary account. It is not true. You can convert your line to secondary (and activate/deactivate it online) regardless whether you live in France or not. But it took some research to figure it out - against the advice given by the French Telecom agents in Paris.

 

Please share the info how. I am normally quite tenacious but have missed out on both the 'secondary line' deal and the a'ctivate when you want ' deal.

Cheers

[Hoabriat]

> I do not imagine that there will be a lot of agreement with you on this forum.

Perhaps not, that was  not the point.

I am looking for some basic information - and it's not me who introduced the subject of France's priorities - as far as broadband is concerned.

 

 

[Hoabriat]

> Please share the info how. I am normally quite tenacious but have missed out on both the 'secondary line' deal and the a'ctivate when you want ' deal.

Hi there John,

I appreciate your inquisitive attitude. (From my experience,  that snobbish defensiveness that some of us seem to favor - will not get you very far).

Here's my 2 cents.

With France Telecom, you never know because much depends on the person you are talking to. They are moody and the range of their professional knowledge can be from very low to very high, depending on the day of the week, time, weather, etc.

If you want to keep the same phone number but you do not live in France all the year round, like myself, request that France Telecom switches your account form Primary to Secondary. It is completely legal and you do not need anything else. The advantage is that you do not pay for the service if you are not in France. (I am looking for the same set up with the internet - hence the whole thread!)

The trouble is that many French have the "pas possible" attitude, so the first thing they try to do is to always look for a reson why it is NOT possible.

My frist try was at the  France Telecom office on Blvd Sebastopol  in Paris. I brought all my "factures" yet they kept telling me that it was impossible. One of the agents even called her main office for more information. 

Her boss told her I needed a primary account in France in order to qualify for a secondary line. They were all very relieved when they could supply me with a "legitimate" excuse why they could not help me.

Anyway, I emailed  France Telecom with the same question. They said, no problem, call your regional office and provided me with a number. I called and they even found somebody in the office who could speak English.

There is NO requirement for a primary line in order to have your secondary line. With the secondary line, 2 days before I leave for Paris, I login to my France Telecom account and click on the button to activate my telephone. It is always ready when I am there. Similarly, when it's time to leave, I go online and deactivate the phone. Sometimes the deactivation button does not work - then you need to call. But it's a simple thing even with my limited French.

Regards,

H.

Everything is theoretically impossible, until it is done.
--Robert A. Heinlein

[Hoabriat]

[quote user="Owens88"]

France has small villages /towns and so it would. In fact I know people without phones who would benefit quickly.

[/quote]

Exactly. With the almost complete cell phone coverage it's not an issue. The question is that WiFi may not be the best format. You can have broadband via the cell phone network. Personally, I do not care.

If anyone knows of any company that offers broadband via GPS - with modem card similar to Cingular in the United States - I am all ears. Incidentally, the new line of ThinkPads comes with the Verizon Sierra CDMA2000 - connectivity built in, along with the regular Wi Fi.

As for the Wi Fi, it's incredibly simple for people to share - you do not even need anything from the government of France Telecom.

I am going to talk to my French neighbors. Instead of each of us buying a full service plan it's easy to picht in and share. One PC would broadcast the signal through a  basic antenna to cover the whole block.

In the USA, a lot of people do it - even though the houses are spaced much less densely. As you drive though the city you pick up lots of available  hot spots you can use.

I mentioned that only because French villages are so compact - it seems easier to install a communal Wi Fi service, like water. It would cost pennies. The only objection may be from France Telecom that would lose money (In the US Congress, the few larger telecommunication companies have been trying to ban shared access, unsuccessfully so far.  Many small cities offer free access just to keep jobs in town.)

Of course, one has to think of the poor. But it is not an excuse: if someone lives on a 1000 Euros a month, this 1000 Euros come from the people who currently work and pay taxes. Since France is getting older there are more people who need this subsidy and fewer of those who supply the money. 

Unless there is some political  leadership (or a major crises!) our societies tend to remain  lethargic.

[Adriana]

To go back to the original question:

Try Wanadoo Intégrales sans engagement.

---------

Pas d'engagement sur la durée

5 adresses mail personnalisables pour toute la famille

Un espace de 100 Mo pour partager vos passions sur des pages perso

Le filtrage des mails indésirables

L'assistance téléphonique 7J/7, 24H/24

Changement de forfait gratuit quand vous le souhaitez

Possibilité de suspendre votre forfait quand vous vous absentez (3)

Réception d’ un mail en cas de dépassements répétés de votre forfait

---------------

there is also Intégrales Optimum, but you're tied up for 12 months.