Historically there have been three principle mobile telephone operators in France.  They are Orange (France Telecom), SFR and Bouygues Telecom.  2006/7 has seen some new major players coming into the market, such as Virgin and NRJ.
 
It has to be said that the mobile scene is even more complicated than the fixed line services.  There are two main ways to obtain a mobile phone.  Either by paying a monthly 'abonnement' (rental) and to be almost given your phone - or to elect for a 'Pay As You Go' system and pay a higher price for your phone.   The former will certainly tie you into a minimum contract of at least 1 year, whereas the later is definitely more attractive to those of you, who just need a mobile for emergency situations.  However be careful, as the PAYG systems have a cut-off after 2 months, unlike the UK system that your top up amount is for an unlimited duration.

Meanwhile, we do have a very interesting system called 'Mobile Gateway' - see below, that allows you to make International calls out of France, at the price of a landline call.  This is a very good deal, though it is necessary for you to have a French mobile phone connected to a French mobile operator.

Primus 'Moblie Gateway'

This service is aimed at those of you who have a French portable (mobile) and who make international calls from France.  It is not for calling within France from your mobile, only for making international calls at a much reduced rate. 

To use the service, you utilise your normal mobile operator such as Orange, SFR or Bouygues.   To access Mobile Gateway you call a number in Paris, which is charged by your mobile operator and then the cost from Paris onwards on Mobile Gateway.   If you have a landline account with Primus, it will appear on your normal monthly itemised account. 

It is of course, substantially cheaper than normal International mobile networks.   If you have a ‘forfait’ (a deal) with your mobile operator then most likely the call to Paris is included in that ‘forfait,’ so the complete call for example to the UK will only be 2.9 cents plus a connection fee of 10 cents TTC.  This is a particularly good deal. There are no subscription fees and no monthly charges for using Mobile Gateway, you are only charged for the calls you make. 

You may also use the Internet to check your calls made and to input up to 99 memories.   These memories allow you to setup short codes, which can then be dialled direct from your mobile.

Tariff euros per minute

2.9 cents

4 cents

5 cents

7 cents

5 cents

8 cents

4 cents

4 cents

To use the Primus Mobile Gateway system, you must have your ‘presentation de numero’ option switched on, to allow the Paris platform to identify your mobile signal.   You can check this by calling a friend and making sure he or she can see your telephone number. 

There are two ways that the system may be operated.   You can call a number manually - or alternatively by registering up to 99 numbers short codes in your personal Primus Internet site at http://mobile.primustelecom.fr To access the site, I will give you a ‘numero de compte’ (account number) and a ‘mot de passe’ (password)  when you join the service. 

1.  To ring a number manually:   to ring an international number, dial 01 70 59 36 00, the platform will automatically identify your mobile and ask you to dial your number.   Dial the number you require, including the international code 00.  For example to dial a London number, dial 00442081234567.  You will be connected immediately. 

2.  To ring a number automatically, - having inputted your short codes previously on your Primus personal Internet page, you then simply dial the short code.

Don’t forget that although the cost of the international call is extremely cheap, you are also being charged on your mobile for the call to Paris.  If you have a ‘forfait’ (deal) with your mobile phone operator, then this call is probably within your forfait and will not cost you anything.  If you are paying a monthly fee for your mobile, then you almost certainly have a 'forfait'.  If you are paying for your mobile on a ‘pay as you go card’ system, unfortunately this is this is a very expensive system and the call to Paris will be expensive. However,  the international part via Primus is still at the rates above.  It is still worth using Mobile Gateway on this system, but it is the call to Paris that is the expensive part. 

How to set up your short codes:
Go to  -  http://mobile.primustelecom.fr Short codes start at 01 70 59 36 01 and allow you to input 99 numbers thereafter.   Your personal page allows you to do the following: 

1. Set up your short codes.
2. Look at the calls you have made.
3. Look at the statistics of your calls made.

If you do not have access to the Internet, we will input your favourite numbers for you.

Download Application Form

 Download Terms and Conditions