Owners of a second home in France can have a fixed telephone line without having to pay a regular monthly bill.

The service Ligne résidence secondaire is provided through the main French telephone provider France Télécom - Orange.

Under the terms of the offer you need only pay the monthly rental of €16 when you activate your subscription; when you have no need of the line, you can suspend it.

The cost of suspending the line is €4.69 and there is no charge for activating it. Each suspension must be for at least one month, and no longer than one year.

It is possible to suspend or activate your line directly from the number, or you can do so on the Internet. You can also do so from your own home phone number abroad.

In addition to the basic service, Orange also offer subscribers the option of paying a larger monthly fee in return for which they obtain free calls. Customers can opt for free calls per month of 2 hours (€19), 3 hours (€29), or unlimited calls (€39).

Whether the offer of free calls for a higher monthly rental works for you will depend on just how much use you make of your phone on holiday.

In all cases customers obtain a number of features as part of the offer, such as presentation of the name of the caller, transfer of calls, and a message box.

In order to subscribe, either contact Orange by dailing 3900 and work through the answerphone options, or visit your local France Télécom-Orange office. You can also use their English speaking helpline on 0969363900 from France, or 0033 969 363900 from outside France.

You will need to present either written confirmation from your insurer that it is a résidence secondaire, or a tax bill showing that you are not a resident of France.