Broadband finally takes off in France.

EUROPEMEDIA-(C)2002 Van Dusseldorp & Partners - http://www.vandusseldorp.com/

Broadband internet access in France is finally taking off. Following in the path of northern Europe, subscription to ADSL services has become more popular with the broader public since last autumn, thanks

In France, ADSL - and broadband access in general - tended to target the wealthy. Now, the internet service providers are trying to attract new clients. Customers can now purchase ADSL at the supermarket for around E30 a month.

This trend started mid-September, when the French ISP, Free, cut the price of its service by a third. Until then, ADSL clients had to pay not only the monthly connection fees, but also for an expensive cable modem and its installation by a professional.

Now, all the ISPs offer free installation and a free modem. By Christmas, France Telecom hopes to have 1.3 million subscriptions to its ADSL service. Last June, the state-run ISP registered around 40,000 subscriptions a month; it now achieves this figure every week.

In France, ADSL is the preferred solution over other broadband services, such as cable internet, that are now struggling to survive. If the client's telephone line is compatible with ADSL, the client can be connected in just over a week. The success of ADSL in France is so sudden that providers are struggling to keep up with the demand. Free, for instance, is sometimes late in installing the service.

As with mobile phones two years ago in France, ADSL is going to be the must-have present for Christmas.((Distributed via M2 Communications Ltd - http://www.m2.com))