Orange France English: Presentation, Offers and Contact in 2024

By Laura Dubois

Orange is the historical telephone operator in France. It used to be called France Telecom and owns the telephone lines in the territory. As Orange is present in other countries, foreigners living in France naturally turn to this operator for an Internet offer or a mobile package. Here is everything you need to know about the operator Orange in France.

Who is Orange in France?

Formerly named France Télécom, Orange is the largest and oldest telecommunications supplier in France and provides a big range of phone and broadband and offers.

It was created back in 1990 as a consortium of 3 British telecom companies, at the time to compete with Vodafone UK. It was later acquired by a German company before being purchased by France Telecom in 2001. Following financial turmoil a few years later, France Telecom underwent a recovery plan and converged all of its activities to Orange, which name it took in 2013.

What are Orange's Internet offers?

Orange offers Internet in ADSL or optical fiber (depending on the eligibility of your home) with a minimum commitment of 12 months. If you cancel your contract before the one-year period, you will have to pay the remaining months. In any case, any cancellation is charged €50, except for legitimate reasons (moving abroad, for example).

The opening of a telephone line with Orange (to have Internet or a simple telephone line) is free if the line is already existing. In the case of optical fiber, there is never a fee.

Each offer includes a modem with Internet in Wi-Fi or via Ethernet cable and a fixed telephone line. If you don't need the phone line, you don't have to connect a phone to your Orange modem (called Livebox).

If you wish, you can choose the TV decoder that allows you to watch the 140 Orange channels on your TV set. This decoder must be connected to the modem or connected via Wi-Fi. You will have to pay a €40 activation fee for this decoder, but you will not pay anything else afterwards.

Offers with ADSL/VDSL

Orange offers with optical fiber

What are the Orange mobile phone offers?

You can choose an Orange prepaid SIM card or a mobile plan (with or without minimum commitment).

The Orange phone contracts

Orange offers mobile packages with a 24-month commitment that allow you to buy a phone at a good price. Alternatively, you can choose a plan with no commitment that you can terminate at any time, free of charge. If you also take out an Internet subscription with Orange, you will receive a discount on the price of your mobile package and on the other packages you add.

Thanks to roaming, you can use your Orange plan in Europe just like in France. When you travel in Europe/DOM/Switzerland/Andorra, you can call correspondents in France or in these zones without charge. You can also use the Internet as in France (the quota is reduced for some plans).

Rates including VAT for a new customer.

If you sign up for a plan with a 24-month commitment, you will have to pay penalties if you cancel before the end of the term (except for legitimate reasons). After this period, you can cancel without charge.

The Orange contract-free mobile offers

If you don't want the burden of being tied down to a contract or are only in France for a couple of months, you'll be better off with a SIM-only, prepaid card. Orange offers this option too, under the name of "Mobicarte". You have 3 Mobicartes to choose from:

1. The basic SIM (Mobicarte Mini), which costs €2.99 and includes unlimited calls and SMS from 9 pm to 12 am
2. the Orange Holiday SIM for €39.99, which is valid for 14 days and includes unlimited calls to Europe, 2h of calls to the World, unlimited SMS to France and Europe, 20 GB of data in Europe.
3. The Orange Mobicarte Vacances World for €29.99, which is valid for 14 days and includes 10 GB of data in world.

If you need a recharge, you'll be able to purchase an Orange recharge tailored to your needs, with prices ranging from €5 to €100.

How do I contact Orange customer service?

If for whatever reason you need to contact the Orange customer service (for technical assistance, a question about your bill, to upgrade your plan), here are all the ways in which you can do so:

• By phone, by calling 3900
• Online, via your Espace client Orange
• On the Orange Forum
• On the Orange social media accounts
• Via the provider's postal address relevant to your query

For all the detailed info about how to contact Orange in France and the Orange English-speaking customer service, check out this dedicated article.

Orange - Procedures and How-Tos

Signing up for a Mobile Phone Plan With Orange

If you're interested in a phone plan with Orange, you can go around it in 3 different ways: by simply calling the customer service at 3900, by following the procedure on the Orange website, or by going to an Orange boutique. If you are looking to set up a landline, then you first of all need to make sure your French line is activated, which is explained in detail in this other article.

Whichever way you decide to sign up to Orange, make sure you gather the following information beforehand:

1. Your contact details - name, valid email address
2. You full home address
3. Your full banking details - note that you need to have a French bank account in order to sign up for a phone plan.

Signing up for a Broadband Plan With Orange

If you're interested in an Orange broadband deal, you can subscribe in an Orange store, by phone by calling 3900 or by Internet on the operator's website.

To sign up for an Internet plan with Orange, you will need to provide the exact same information than as for mobile plans, as stated above. You may also want to test your phone line to determine whether you are eligible to optical fiber, ADSL on satellite technology only. This can be done so over the phone by an Orange advisor, in an Orange boutique, or on the Orange website via the fiber eligibility test (you just need to enter your home address).

Cancelling a Phone or Internet Plan With Orange

If you've decided for whatever reason you want to put a term to your contract with Orange, you can do so:

• Over the phone
• Via your Orange online account
• By sending a signed-for letter to Orange Service Résiliation, 33734 Bordeaux Cedex 9, France. Make sure the letter features your full name, account number (identifiant abonné) and account ID (numéro de ligne).

After that, once the provider has received your request, your subscription should take an end within 10 days. You'll also need to return the equipment lent to you (modem for example).

If you are on a contract, make sure you've gone passed the initial agreed-on period, otherwise, you will be charged. Namely, you'll be fined a fixed sum of €50 for stopping an Internet contract. As for phone plans, it's a bit more complex as it will depend on how long you'd had left before the end of the contract and whether you were tied down for 12 or 24 months:

1. With a 12-month contract, you'll have to pay the total of the monthly sums left. Ex: if you had 3 months of a €20/month contract left, you'd owe Orange €60.
2. With 24-month contracts, you pay the remainder of the first year + 25% of the remaining second year. Ex: if you cancelled a €20/month contract after 8 months, you'd owe Orange €80 for year 1 + 3 months' worth (25%) of year 2, so a total of 80+60=€140. If you cancelled after 16 months, however, you'd only owe Orange 25% of the remaining 8 months, so €40.