Services: telecoms, internet and landlines

High-speed home internet access is now seen as one of life’s essentials alongside utilities such as water, electricity and gas but the ability to get cheaper ‘triple-play’ offers of broadband, TV and telephone can be a problem in remote areas.

That is not to say France is badly connected – around 95% of households have internet access according to Insee – but rather that the quality of the connection can vary according to location, due to some rural areas having difficulty accessing broadband via fiber.

In 2013 the government launched the France Très Haut Débit program (PFTHD), aimed at addressing these areas known as ‘zones blanches’ (black spots). The original aim was to achieve 100% coverage in very high-speed internet (defined as speeds of 30 Mbps or higher) by 2022, leveraging both fiber and alternative technologies. 

Though targets have evolved with full rollout estimated for 2030, as of late 2024 around 91% of households in France had very high-speed access. 

As part of the PFTHD measures there is financial support for those living in black spots to bridge the digital divide until fib er deployment is complete – the Cohésion Numérique des Territoires (CNT) program has subsidies of €150-€600 for installation and equipment using satellite, radio, and 4G fixed wireless options as part of the overall digital inclusion strategy. 

In addition to the CNT program, some communes and departements offer their own grants or subsidies to help residents in zones blanches – contact your mairie to ask if this applies to you. There may also be coverage in your area from Réseaux d’Initiative Publique (RIP) – public infrastructure networks managed by local authorities. 

To check accessibility in your area/ad dress, visit telecom regulator Arcep’s online tool.

Landline telephones

At the time of writing there were approximately 37 million fixed telephone subscriptions in France, with most ‘lignes fixes’ landlines provided by Orange (the name for France Télécom landline services since 2012 and, since 2013, for the whole company). 

While around 60% of these are based on Voice over Broadband (VoB) or other modern technologies, the remainder still using the traditional copper network are being phased out under a gradual transition to IP-based services as part of the PFTHD plan to provide high-speed internet access to all households by 2025.

Landline numbers have 10 digits: a zero followed by a digit from one to five, that shows the area being called.

Numbers for landlines based in Ile-de-France start with the 01 area code and the rest of France is divided as the map shows here.

Cell phone numbers also have 10 digits and start 06 or 07; freephones are 080 (other 08 numbers are surcharged) and internet phones start 09.

How to stop cold calls and go ex-directory

Just as householders can stop unsolicited sales and marketing leaflets being dropped in their mailboxes (with a ‘Stop Pub’ sticker), calls can be blocked using a free government-run service called Bloctel – although results are mixed.

Go to bloctel.gouv.fr, then click on ‘Consommateur’ and ‘Inscription’ to sign up with your email address and give details of the phone numbers you wish to be protected from.

While there are more than six million subscribers to the service, consumer group UFC-Que Choisir reports that a high volume still receive cold calls (canvassing, called démarchage). Although some were from companies they had had dealings with – these still have a right to call – there is criticism that enforcement of non-compliance is underpowered. 

However, a new law from March 2025 aims to introduce mandatory prior consent for telemarketing – meaning customers would opt in instead of opt out.

Orange offers a free liste orange or liste anti-prospection where landline users keep their details in the phone directory but stop them going in the company’s files supplied to marketing companies. You can also be ex-directory by opting for liste rouge.

To sign up, you need to opt in explicitly via your phone provider – either you will be asked when setting up a contract, or you can find the information in your customer account area to select your preferred settings.