Is mobile Internet available?

[Caroline13]

Hi there everyone
Great site with lots of useful info, thanks
We are moving in September 2009 but won't have internet until December and I was hoping to pick someones brains about Orange mobile Internet.
Do you have it in France, How do you get it, approx how much does it cost and finally is the coverage good!!
I need it for work so will need to have it as soon as we move - is it possible to buy online or do we need to go to a shop and buy one of the Dongle thingies there!
Any help would be great , thanks
Caroline

[frogblogger]

Afraid I dont' know much about this, but I have an Orange mobile, and the two internet options I can pay extra for having are:

- free surfing from 8pm to 8am for an extra 6 euros per month on top of standard tariff

- free surfing 24/24 for an extra 12 euros per month.

Both have free access to "Orange World", the internal Orange internet accessed portal which I've not used so know little about.

[dougondemand]

Originally Posted by Caroline13

Hi there everyone
Great site with lots of useful info, thanks
We are moving in September 2009 but won't have internet until December and I was hoping to pick someones brains about Orange mobile Internet.
Do you have it in France, How do you get it, approx how much does it cost and finally is the coverage good!!
I need it for work so will need to have it as soon as we move - is it possible to buy online or do we need to go to a shop and buy one of the Dongle thingies there!
Any help would be great , thanks
Caroline

Hello!

Yeah we have mobile internet like that, but I've never used it so I can't say that much about it.

You can have a look on the SFR website if you want an idea of prices--unlimited is 30€ if you already use them for your mobile. Orange seems to be 44€ for internet+television+landline+2 hours of mobile internet.

However in terms of coverage I can't really say. Anyone else here used it?

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by Caroline13

Hi there everyone
Great site with lots of useful info, thanks
We are moving in September 2009 but won't have internet until December and I was hoping to pick someones brains about Orange mobile Internet.
Do you have it in France, How do you get it, approx how much does it cost and finally is the coverage good!!
I need it for work so will need to have it as soon as we move - is it possible to buy online or do we need to go to a shop and buy one of the Dongle thingies there!
Any help would be great , thanks
Caroline

Like everyone else here, I haven't used it myself, but most of the mobile phone companies offer the "dongle" service as part of a mobile phone plan. SFR is the one I've seen advertised the most, but I'd be shocked if Orange (i.e. France Telecom) doesn't have the same thing.

Easiest way to sign up for mobile service and the works is probably to go to one of the phone stores so the sales people can explain what's what. I know I get lost in the SFR website, and generally you need a local address and bank account to set up the service anyhow.

Almost any good sized shopping center (centre commercial) will have at least a couple phone shops - "tied" shops (SFR, Bouygues, Orange) or something like the Phone House, which offers a variety of phone services. Or you can hit Darty or any of the big hypermarkets (Carrefour, Auchan, Cora, etc), all of which have big phone sections that sell phones and services from all the main providers.
Cheers,
Bev

[Caroline13]

Thanks very much everyone, much appreciated

[Aillse]

Be careful about what is termed "unlimited" mobile from orange and SFR. Both mean "unlimited" upto what they consider fair play, then you are cut off until the next month. Fair play on a mobile is way below what you would expect, so check the very very small print.
If you only need limited access between arriving in France and getting the land line connected consider the local Mediatheque. Many towns and villages have, inside the local library, several computers connected to the internet which are free to use for periods of up to 2 hours per day. They are usually closed Sunday and one day in the week, and sometimes only open morning or afternoon.

[LPPBS]

For your internet access, the national providers (orange, SFR, Bouygues telecom) sell 3G cheap wich gives us unlimited internet access 24/7 for 29.90 euros /month

[Gaddash]

I hope this isn't too off-topic, but is there a main company that most people use for in-home internet access? What's the average monthly cost?

[dougondemand]

Originally Posted by Gaddash

I hope this isn't too off-topic, but is there a main company that most people use for in-home internet access? What's the average monthly cost?

Hello!

In France you can generally find in-home internet access + television + landline phone for about 30€ per month. The main providers are Orange, SFR, Free, Alice, Darty...but there are several but the prices don't generally vary.

[mikecambrai]

Originally Posted by Gaddash

I hope this isn't too off-topic, but is there a main company that most people use for in-home internet access? What's the average monthly cost?

I pat around 50 euros a month for broadband plus all phone charges. I use Skype for all my phone calls at 10 euros a quarter.
Regarding mobile connection 3G is fantastic if you have it in your area and I recommend orange via France Telecom as being the best to deal with and the most helpful. The orange 'illimitee' was around 70 euros a month.
Everything depends upon where you are living as in the UK. Some areas have good connections and some do not.
Mike