I’m with Stella on this one @cat 
Although most of our computers are connected to the internet, we are reducing this. All the applications that actually do anything are local and the primary copies of everything are on our local server. I do put some copies of things on the internet to aid research etc but the primary copy is always local (and backed up). Yes, it’s a filing cabinet but it’s also one where most of our activity takes place.
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Up until a couple of years ago I use to have quite a complex set up with servers, internal and external backups etc - but then I just switched to storing everything in the cloud as they have much better and more frequent backups than I could ever do with many versions of each file stored. I can now also access all of my files when out and about at Noraire/CPAM etc if needed.
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That is certainly what “normal” people do, @Mat_Davies We don’t store anything in the cloud for a series of complex reasons that I don’t want to go into here since I tried to previously and attracted an enormous amount of criticism 
However, if you are comfortable with it, carry on!
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It’s fairly obvious, we are all different… and in many more ways than one… 
Vive la différence…
It’s very unusual for mobile operators (excluding MVNOs) to actually share network infrastructure. They might share a mast (easier to get planning permission and reduced rental fees), but there would normally be a full base station per operator at the base of the mast.
The exception to this rule in the U.K. was a network sharing arrangement between Three U.K. and T Mobile U.K. that took advantage of a Nokia network feature that allowed sharing of base station and other network resource between 2 different operators.
It’s entirely likely, as you surmise, that the operators have disabled you local site because it was taking very little traffic (and therefore not making any money) and now your “local” cell is the one serving the large road and it isn’t optimised to give your location much in the way of coverage.
I very much doubt that La France would mandate rural mobile coverage standards as it would cost many, many times what the Numerique (rural broadband rollout) scheme is costing.
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Thanks Angela! I so appreciate all the info you guys all share here. Am a little scared coming over and doing this all on my own, but also, feel better knowing all of you are “out there”.
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Heleno, am rather fascinated by your thread here. Am getting that connection is “not great” there but, again, why are you paying for calls? Because the internet is unreliable? Is this all over France or just rural?
Which (very approximately!) area are you coming to @Kvk? Some of us might be nearby and be able to give you the benefit of local knowledge perhaps… Please don’t panic - living in France is great but very different in its processes from the UK or US
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A very easy solution would be to move to Sosh. This is a subsidiary of Orange so you keep the same number, the same English speaking helpline, even the same live box but pay €19.99 a month.
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Can’t speak for French towns, but here in SW France, getting a decent internet connection is a total lottery.
I’m too far from the nearest telephone exchange for ADSL and the fibre broadband rollout has halted 5 km from my house. To compound matters, I have zero mobile service in the house and have stand in the driveway to get even 1 bar. Nearest Orange mast is 2 valleys away with a ridge between us and 50 cm thick stone walls don’t help.
Tough for you @NotALot . For us, choosing to buy somewhere to live, if there was no decent internet connection it was a deal breaker.
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That’s ambiguous. 
Is the lack of internet a bonus or to be avoided?
Whichever, it seems that you use the internet.
I’m reading this to mean that (when house hunting) there would be no deal if there was no decent internet…
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@Stella Quite! Especially as @NotALot had already referred to his own problems and I had said “tough for you”.
Hardly ambiguous @b33jay I’m assuming you are being mildly ironical.
Notalot do you see any solution? It sounds like you and I are in the exact same situation.
Worse here as our signal has been OK for 15 years - which is why I could move here fulltime - but it seems they are ceasing coverage. We are not that remotely rural either. Are you in the Lot as well?
I literally cannot function professionally or personally, without a useable mobile signal . So this is quite serious for me.
Wondering if I should be looking for a mast or something to plonk in the garden.
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If anyone’s looking to get a free 4G dongle Bouygues is offering to reimburse one if you take out a line by 7th November. It looks like the little huawei box you can carry around with you that you can connect 5-10 devices off. Just had the promo popup. Bouygues no useable signal here sadly.
I have internet, when it isn’t raining hard and the Mickey Mouse outfit that operate it forget to put a 50 cent piece in the meter to keep it running over the weekend.
Basically, I have a microwave link to a dish on a nearby water tower which links to the internet. Provided by an outfit in Agen.
Costs half as much again for a tenth of the connection speed I got in London which is I’m most miffed that the Orange fibre hasn’t made out to me yet.
Am in the SE of 47.
HI Angela, working on my logistics- again. My ship literally did not come in on schedule. Goal is to be living full-time by Feb-March at the latest. But will be back in EU before xmas. Where are you located? And yes, it would be wonderful to meet you all. As noted, doing this solo… By the by, is it hard to have a dog/pet there? Forgive the seeming simplicity of this question. Here we just get a pet. EU has so many licenses etc first.
Limoges area
So you still have a landline… it’s fibre… if you resigned your fixed line, you would have lost the original numbers and had nothing, or just an 06 or 07 mobile number… The livebox is the interface for your phones to talk to the phone line… No livebox = no phone… you would be mobiles only