Save on French phone line fees

Dégroupage means other telecoms firms rent the use of the final sections of Orange’s infrastructure up to your house.

In the case of dégroupage partiel, you have your internet services via another firm but continue to have landline calls via Orange.

With dégroupage total, you no longer plug your phone into the Orange wall socket but into your internet modem box.

This is not possible in some rural areas but around 95% of France is covered. You can test eligibility at zoneadsl.com.

You can usually keep your fixed number if you wish. Your new internet operator will deal with technical issues but you may lose the ability to make landline calls for a few days.

While removing Orange’s landline fee will save money, you may find the fee for your internet via dégroupage total is more than the partiel fee – so worth checking first.

Also you lose the possible option of having two landlines: one over the internet, one on the traditional landline phone.

Having the total service will also help prepare for when traditional landlines are switched off from 2023.

All phones will then have to be plugged into a “box”. Orange, which no longer offers basic landlines to new customers, has an option of very simple ones for those who do not want internet, at no extra cost.