How to open a French phone line with Orange ?

Par Ophélie Jamet

To access the Internet in your home in France, you must request a line opening from Orange. This can be done by Internet, by phone or in an Orange store. Here is all you need to know to open an Internet line with Orange.

• The takeaway
• In most cases, your house is already connected to a fixed phone line.
• However, if your house is brand new, or if the former occupant didn't have a line / deactivated it over a long time ago then chances are you'll need to open a new French phone line.
• The way to proceed to do so depends on your situation - how new the house is and how long the house you've moved in was left inhabited.
• With Orange, activating your line will probably be quicker than with other providers, but will also likely be more expensive.

New Orange phone line: steps to get started

After moving into your new French home, along with electricity, you'll probably want to set up a phone line to access the Internet with Orange. To get this last point sorted out, you first have to find out if your house or apartment is connecting to an existing telephone line:

Your home is already connected to a telephone line if:

1. The former home occupant was subscribed to a telephone line and/or Internet plan
2. There is at least one telephone socket in your home

Today in France, most homes today are connected to a fixed-line.

Your home is not connected if:

1. The house has never had a telephone line - often true for newly-constructed houses
2. There is no phone number associated with the former occupant
3. The former occupant's line was not re-activated

If you find yourself in one of these last 3 situations, read on to get the details about how to set up your very own French phone line.

How to reactivate a line left inactive for under 6 months?

If the former occupant left the unit several months ago, you can try retrieving the property's line identification number (known as NDI in French), which helps identify the line and the attached address. Either contact the former occupant or contact Orange directly to obtain it. 

Once you have the NDI, you simply have to test the line by plugging your fixed phone set into the home's phone jack. If you hear a dial tone, this is good news! This means a telephone line is present and there is no need to build a new line. Plus, you can get the line reactivated for free.

Upon hearing the dial tone, proceed to dial a landline number in service. You will then be redirected to a free voice server that will announce your line number, which you should take note of as it is readout. Then, simply contact the Orange customer service at 3900 and give them your NDI to get signed up for a phone plan.

With this NDI identification number, you can also subscribe to an Internet offer.

To subscribe to an Internet offer with Orange, all you have to do is go to a store or to the operator's website. First, compare Orange Internet offers to choose the one that suits you best. Then, bring an ID, a bank account number (associated with a French bank account) and a proof of address (rental lease, electricity bill, etc.).

Subscribing to an Internet offer with Orange does not involve any activation fees, unlike other operators. If you prefer to subscribe via the Internet, consider using Google Chrome to translate the site.

How to reactivate a long inactive phone line?

Let's say that you do not hear any dial tone - this means your new home phone line has been terminated for a long time ago. In this case, the process is different as you will need to have to pay for the opening of a new phone line. The price of a phone line creation with Orange costs €119.

Formerly performed by France Telecom (Orange), a line reactivation can now be done in other operators. If you wish to sign up to Orange once the line is reactivated/built, contact Orange customer service and they will take care of the opening process for you. 

How long will it take for my line to be activated ?

It depends. According to the French organization ARCEP, delivery deadlines for 50% of requests are between 9 and 14 days for the 4 main providers - but if you do choose Orange, you are likely to get the fastest connection setup out of all providers.

How much will it cost to open a telephone line ?

Orange charges €119 for the construction of a new or deactivated phone line. But if the phone line is still active, you won't pay anything to turn on the Internet.

What to do to open a French phone line ? A recap

Here's a summary of how to proceed to get started according to your situation: