new SIMYO offer
 

http://www.simyo.fr/telephonie-mobil...expatries.html

for 10€/year keep your number for 1 year. no time to more translate sorry.

Much as I like France, I've noticed for a long time that French companies do have an unreasonable tendency to charge consumers for services that are free in many other countries, for example debit card annual fees, seeing your bank balance on a cash machine, driving on motorways, going to the loo. This €10/year charge appears to be yet another to add to the list. Why do French consumers put up with this?

Well, it's the socialistic spirit that rules France. The state regulates everything, levies crazy corporate taxes, hinders competition and delivers a lot of services. However for all those benefits consumers have to pay a price which is pretty obvious in the mobile sector.

French operators wants earn money with sleepping account. period.

I got a B&You SIM card a couple of years ago while I was in France. It was a major pain to acquire because I had to first get a French virtual prepaid card (with the assistance of willemijns), then I had to have the SIM card mailed to a hotel in France where I was planning to stay. All of this worked out and I got the card and got it working.

Sometime after that, B&You transferred all of their customers to Simyo. Simyo, so far, has pledged to honor the no-expiration date plan that the original B&You card offered. I still have to top up every couple of years to keep my card active, but this is better than having to set up a new card every time I visit France. Hopefully, this card will be around for a while.

France is definitely the worst country when it comes to being a tourist trying to get a local SIM card. Italy is a close 2nd.

I would seriously consider this new offer if I didn't already have a working card.

in Italy it's much much easier than in France. And all prepaid sim-cards have a validity of at least 12 months, totally free of charge, you just need to refill once a year and that's it.
And prepaid rates in Italy are far cheaper than in France and there's plenty of options too. Also data speed is much higher.

Really Italy has many big problems, many more than France, but when we talk about prepaid sim-cards it's a world ahead.