Any advice?

My parents have a 2nd home in France - near Nimes - and my dad cancelled his internet connection as he found it very expensive compared to the UK - and advice for cheaper packages he can sign up to - maybe including phone too?

Rather than the Decouvert option try this one…(…J I.m getting boring)

http://maboutique-internet.orange.fr/residentiel/ALaCarte.aspx
Cheaper better speed and still sans engagement

Helen
I’ve just joined and have therefore only just seen your post. I have lived here since 2004 and have experience with Wanadoo/Orange, Teleconnect, Alice and Free. SFR may become my next provider since it seems to be the cheapest and best for rural residents. Alice and Free are owned by the same group but operate as competing companies. Customer service from Free is practically non existant, Alice is better. SFR own what was Neuftel which took over AOL France. Customer service from SFR is said to be good. Service from Teleconnect is good and in English but the service is expensive.
I am aware that Orange and Teleconnect offer a service which can be put on hold.
Line rental is either included or not and you need to ascertain which is applicable.
Whilst some providers do not require a long term contract, the norm seems to be that a full month or two is required to terminate a service or your obligation to make subscription payments.
Care must taken when choosing a service if you need the telephone to work when your modem is off (telephone plugged into the wall rather than the modem).
Cheap or free telephone calls tend to rely on the use of VOIP which usually means that your phone needs to be directly connected to your modem.
For part time residents Messenger/Skype/VOIPCheap may be better for cheap instant/interactive communications.
I have heard no complimentary reports on broadband by satellite yet.
Internet by 3G dongle is expensive here as it appears to be charged by time rather than traffic volume.
Need more details ? I can only comment from my own experience.

Hi Helen,

There are a couple of possibilities for those with a second home in France, although there is still payment involved.

Ligne Résidence Secondaire
This enables you to suspend your line rental payment a maximum of six times a year, for a minimum period of at least one month (and at maximum one year).

Découverte internet sans engagement
Provides one meg access, online television channels and didn’t require me to sign up to a monthly contract.

And this is my own write-up of getting broadband in France.

Hope this helps.