SETTLING IN - CultureShock! A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette: France - page 120

and while they are usually expensive, they might work,
combined with wii where you can i nd it. Check out the
options your telephone company offers before you leave
home.
In France, you can subscribe to a service (same group as
do the cell phones) that provides the 3G clé and then buy as
much time as you need. This is particularly l exible, for people
coming in and out of France. Like a pay-as-you-go cell phone,
it will work for a year, sometimes more, between additional
payments. And you can make payments online with your
French credit card. (A bank account in France makes sense
if you are coming regularly.)
Situation B—Landline combined service in France
If you are coming to France to live, you will want to consider
buying a whole package of telephone services: landline,
internet access, television and cell phone. Many residences
have now been wired for i bre optique which provides the
fastest data transfer available. Check to see if yours is one
of them, and be sure to tell your service provider. You will
have to shop around for the best “deal” for the combination
of services you want. All charge monthly, with a minimum
of at least six months and a fee to quit the service.
Use the independent shops that provide information on
several different telephone service companies to get your
comparisons. But you might be better off going to that
company's shop once you decide on the one you want. They
can give you the most accurate information about their deals,
and they will back you up if you have problems.
You will need a bill with your local address on it, your
identii cation (passport) and your RIB, a piece of paper
providing your local bank account details, usually found at
the back of your bank checkbook. There is good television
transmission in France without a cable or satelitte type
service, so consider your optional packages carefully. But it
gets bewildering and it might be cheaper just to pay for all
of them in a package.
They will tell you it takes two weeks to get stared, but it is
often sooner. Meanwhile, see Situation A above. Good luck!