Getting well connected in your new French home

In an age where many of us remote-work from abroad, or keep in touch with overseas relatives on Skype, making sure you have good internet connections in your area of France is vital.

As in the UK high-speed internet access can be better in some areas than others, so it is worth checking this as part of your property search. Use websites such as degrouptest.com and ariase.com to check services.

The Dordogne is one area that has invested heavily to build a new digital network over 10 years, and across France communes have been working locally to provide at least 2G mobile phone reception. Investigate satellite broadband, Wimax and Wifimax as internet sources if in rural black spots.

Good news, though is that France enjoys better deals for TV, internet and mobile bundles than many countries – and do consider messaging services such as Whatsapp and Skype if you have a foot in two countries, likewise a dual-SIM mobile phone.