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Telecoms

French telecoms operator Free loses appeal over claims on internet speed

Free promised speeds of up to three times faster than 4G but was unable to deliver these

French billionaire turns up to Marseille car park ‘to fight’ with angry customer

Xavier Niel, the boss of Free, was challenged to a fight outside a Lidl supermarket

Map: best and worst areas in France for fibre optic connection

Network operators named and shamed by regulator as fibre rollout marred by complaints of poor connections

news

Orange given go-ahead to decommission copper telephone lines in France

It will save the company €500million a year, but concerns have been raised over the patchy fibre-optic roll-out in rural France

Internet in rural France: New study shows how bad it really can be

Mobile speeds can be 66% lower than in urban areas, a consumer study has shown, with some speeds ‘barely minimum for accessing basic services’

Turning off telephone service when not in France

For many years we have been using Orange for our internet and home landline. As we are only in France for the summer, they allowed us to turn off the service when we were not there and restore it when we returned, so we only paid for three months a year. Now it is stopping, are there alternatives?

Lille issues ‘moratorium’ on 5G technology

Lille mayor Martine Aubry has confirmed a moratorium on the controversial technology pending a 2021 report on its possible implications for health

France begins 5G mobile technology frequency roll out

France has today (September 29) opened up billions of euros worth of more 5G frequencies to mobile phone operators, as the country starts rolling out the controversial technology.

Macron: France ‘will adopt 5G’ as a ‘country of innovation’

France “will adopt” 5G and will continue to be a “country of innovation”, French President Emmanuel Macron has said, hitting back at critics of the new technology who would rather an “Amish model”, he said.

Animal cuts internet cables in southwest France

Engineers take two days to track down the source of the problem - an invasive animal from South America

French fibre firms rebuked for client ‘ping pong’

Telecoms firms have been warned by their watchdog to stop playing “ping pong” with clients’ complaints about fibre internet by bouncing blame to another firm.

Make holiday visitors to French home ‘wifi happy’

The holiday season is approaching fast and whether you’re looking forward to welcoming friends and family into your home, or paid holidaymakers into your gîtes or chambres d’hôtes, you’ll want to be ready to receive them.

How do I protect equipment in my French home?

A couple of years ago the summer storms in France were exceptional and parts of the Dordogne were without power for 50 hours! Winter storms are also damaging and, as always, those in rural areas bear the brunt, with their cabling more susceptible than areas where the lines run underground. What can you do to make sure your equipment is protected in the event of a storm?

How to improve the WIFI signal in my French home?

I am having lots of visitors to stay for Christmas – any tips for improving my wifi?

French telecom company keeps sending bills

Orange persists in sending monthly bills for a Livebox and internet usage despite me returning the Livebox last year and requesting it suspends the telephone line. I also sent a recorded delivery letter to this effect to Orange’s customer service department in Lille, which was not acknowledged. While in France in February, I phoned its English-speaking line twice to try to sort the matter. Who can I contact to resolve this?

Getting connected in France for the first time

How do I get connected to phone and broadband if there has not previously been any in our property

Save on French phone line fees

Opting for dégroupage total with your ADSL or fibre optic internet can save you €18 a month in landline fees.

Charged as fault inside my property?

I reported a fault on my line and was told if the fault was inside my property, then I would be charged €69. I never saw a technician outside my property, let alone inside my house, so queried it when I was charged all the same. I was told that the charge was regardless of whether or not the fault was inside my property. They agreed to credit me the €69, but how can we be responsible for faulty Orange infrastructure? They told me the law changed recently. T.R.

France's major investment in telecommunication

I am aware that France is in the middle of a major investment in its telecommunication network. How soon will this affect the average customer like me?

Which protection against power surges during storms?

Lightning and power surges during storms damaged my modem and phone this summer as well as my line which needed repairs. What can I do to avoid this?

Secondary net gains...

In Bob Elliott’s recent Talking Points column (August 2018) regarding the cessation of the Orange Maison Secondaire lines, he seemed to say this would be more expensive.

Massive phone network fault fixed

Telephone services back to normal after a day of disruption across France

Nuisance caller system set to be turned on its head

Now you can block calls to expensive numbers

From March 1 telecom operators must offer a way to block calls to surcharged numbers in a bid to stop sky-high bills

Opt in to opt out of SFR

A service procedure has invited criticism from customers

Deal over nationwide 4G coverage

Government and big four telecoms firms reach agreement on three-year plan to ensure universal 4G coverage

Orange and Free link for 100% broadband

Telecoms giants team up to offer high-speed fibre broadband coverage for northwestern department

Orange launches its own bank

Smartphone account will offer a host of free, fast services

Fair trade reaches mobile phone market

It's easy to repair and is made using sustainable raw materials

Telecoms: still time to act

Telecom firms raised tariffs over summer without giving customers much warning – but clients can still act.

No signal? Just 60% of France gets good coverage

Just 60% of France has “very good mobile phone coverage”, according to analysis of a new website showing which mobile phone companies offer the best signal.

Revealed: Quality of mobile coverage in your area

Telecoms watchdog Arcep launches interactive map that it says shows genuine mobile coverage levels across country accurate to 50m

Environmental agency warns on smartphone ‘waste’

As iPhone X is launched, groups say users must be aware of the natural destruction caused in production

Radio waves help broadband

Rural mayors and the broadcast infrastructure company TDF have signed a deal to improve high-speed broadband availability and network speeds that could transform internet usage in city, town and remote areas.