As another has mentioned, look at SOSH, you keep the landline, and phone for 19€99/month… you can call Orange english helpline, and they have helped me in the past with problems, but they’re not supposed to… SOSH are totally internet based arm of Orange, no shops… I’ve been with them for 6yrs now… well pleased with them
There are different systems for phones here…
The old Analogue lines, with dial tone… purely for phones and fax, you need the old dial up modems in your computer… it is not broadband, 512b/s…
Then there is the recent “dead line” where there is no dial tone when you plug in a phone, it must go through a modem[livebox, freebox, etc]… this gives WiFi, or hard wired LAN internet andVOIP phone calls [Voice Over Internet Protocol]
Fiber is latest and also need a special modem to talk to the “landline”…
Then there’s 3.4.5G. mobile networks…
Yes indeed - here there is not fibre and for the past few years I had ADSL and a fixed phone line on the standard line. When I moved fully back to Orange, they encouraged me to go to VOIP (plug into the back of theh modem) and not have the separate plug-in-the-wall phone, although nothing actually changed as far as the line was concerned. The “new” arrangement was cheaper and I kept my old fixed line number. My partner has a new 09 number at his house but the line itself, which he can’t use independently, still has the standard regional “02” number so there is nothing special changing on the lines at the moment. Presumably I could go back to my old arrangement of fixed phone plus internet on the same line (we’ve not had dial-up here for about 20 years) but it would cost a bit more. I am very tempted to do so…
I’ve been using the Bouygues 4g box for the past 3 months. No problems. Used to get (on ADSL) 3mbps, regularly getting now 27-40 Mbps depending on the time of day etc etc.
Worth a try. No contract. They are reasonably helpful too.
(I’ll be looking at fibre, as it’s coming through the village right now, but meantime, I’m very happy.)
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Hi Angela, The change from the old analogue line to fully digital is a switching thing at the exchange, no more battery power down the wires to your wall socket
this i why the socket is effectively dead to phones. I don’t know if there is even an option to return to analogue any longer.
So you have an old wire and socket, with livebox… VOIP is now the norm here
Sosh are possibly one of the cheapest for phone and internet at 19€99
https://shop.sosh.fr/box-internet?MCO=OFR&doNotTryToAuthenticateAgain=true#XDSL
You would keep everything you have at present, they do the switch to their billing…
You can test your line speed with this link… it’s free and not an app
https://www.speedtest.net/
if you’re getting less than 3Mbs. you might have a faulty line, or you’re way out in the sticks where the speed can drop off severely
Hi Kvk
I think everyone’s situation is different and locations are different….
I arrived here in a whirlwind with my main priority being the land for my Collies without much thought being given to anything else…
I landed lucky and in hindsight was extremely fortunate in that I am in a small rural hamlet surrounded by farmland but with all services including a vet within a couple of miles…
I’ve stayed with Orange (France Telecom) because my package includes free calls to U.K. landlines (my mum who I speak to 3 or 4 times every day…she doesn’t have a mobile and when she was recently in hospital for just short of 6 weeks I was able to call the hospital 3 times a day to speak to her once I had the ward’s landline number)
When I think about it my very first mobile phone in U.K. was….”the future is bright…the future is Orange….”
All calls and texts etc to my kids in U.K. are over the internet…used to be mostly WhatsApp but we have moved over to signal and telegram)
I have a really cheap €10 handset that plugs into the back of my orange livebox to speak to my mum…
All my other communication is via my mobile and WiFi…(when I leave the house I turn on my mobile data which is supplied by GiffGaff…the caveat here being that if my electric goes off which happens rarely during a storm means that my mum in U.K. cant call me unless she calls my mobile which then costs me in credit…and if my electric goes off then my mobile phone wavers between 3G and 4g…3G means I have to stand in my conservatory to get a signal…not the end of the world all being told….)
(I realise none of what I’ve said here is helping @Codfanglers original question )
We didn’t. We were able to keep our 0553 landline numbers.
I’m way out in the sticks, Bob and I know that VOIP is the norm - in fact in the UK I understand that it will become a requirement in a few years time, which is a bit of a problem for (especially elderly) people who don’t otherwise want or need an internet connection!
I have been watching the evolution of the phone service here in my house in France for coming up to 30 years but have to say that, here in rural Normandy, it is probably going to take quite a while for them to replace the 3km of wet string that connects me to the mearest exchange 
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We didn’t either - we kept our 0233 number 
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Kept mine too 0555…makes it an easy number to remember
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That’s the problem my mum has in U.K…fixed landline and paying (more than I do) for an internet package that she doesn’t use…
I’ve also just remembered another reason I’m glad I’ve got a landline/VOIP/handset plugged into the back of my orange livebox….the automated phone call from my bank with the code needed to complete an online purchase…(just done one today)
There isn’t. You can no longer apply for a POTS telephone connection. Clearly they are still supporting those who still have them, but at some point…
It’s a pity there is no option for the most vulnerable, as good old POTS keeps going when the power goes off… and for some it’s a critical life line
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Thank you Helen, reading all of the answers here is helping so much. Where are you living in France if you don’t mind my asking?
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I’m in Brittany (
) in the Morbihan…my prefecture is in Vannes…
I’m a couple of hours from Rennes but my closest airport is Dinard which is best for us as my U.K. family fly Ryanair to visit….
I live in a tiny hamlet of about 18 homes a few miles from Josselin…-
I would say (luckily for me as it was an impulsive move on my part 
) that the area is really well served and there’s doctor a couple of miles away and also a garagiste who looked after my U.K. car and found me a French car when it gave up the ghost…he also arranged the disposal and has told me that rather than ring recovery if I break down anywhere just to ring him as he’s the one who deals with recovery
I’m probably not the best one to ask as like I say I acted on impulse and then muddled through…
I wish you all the very best with your move here
Edited to add that I don’t regret it in any way…(have just missed the regular visits from my family during the turbulence….) one thing I absolutely love about here is no fireworks…the fireworks are startling in U.K. and they will continue for months now until after New Year…it’s a miserable time for many of the dogs and cats in my circle of friends and family and I’m thinking about them all already….
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Hi Heleno,
Mine is both a planned and, impulsive move. As in the idea has been there for some time, the process itself is a bit challenging. As noted, am on my own in this adventure. Would love to meet up some time and share a glass of wine and hear your experiences firsthand.
Karin
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Anybody here started using Starlink yet? The Elon Musk independent system.
It’s a bit pricey at €500 for the kit and €100 per month.
Plus you’ve got to have a place to install the dish.
How did you manage to keep your landline number Sue? At he moment I have a fibre 09 number and a 05 landline. Were you able to replace the fibre number with the landline number?
It was what they offered us when we went into the shop to sort out our new fibre livebox and to talk about how much everything was costing us and how we wanted to get rid of the landline.