In a recent survey studying time spent on-line, the French and the Brits were neck and neck with around 28% of their leisure time being spent in front of the computer screen. The recent study was conducted by global market information group TNS, which asked 27,522 people aged between 18 and 65 to answer questions about their web use.

Now that’s all well and good if you’re sat in your own home but, as you can imagine, as soon as you leave that comfort zone then you’re out on a limb in terms of internet access. The problem becomes even more acute once you’re in a new country, perhaps looking for that new home, spending your leisure time there or even having permanently settled in France. True, it is possible to find internet cafes or use the facilities in a B&B or hotel, but they’re never the most reassuring places to carry out on-line activity especially for sensitive tasks such as managing your bank accounts.

Once settled in your new home, be it on a temporary or permanent basis, you can get connected to France Telecom (eventually) and then there are countless broad band packages on the market to choose from providing your geographical location is covered. That normally means a great deal of research time and a hefty commitment to both France Telecom and a broad band provider when, in fact, you may only require on-line services from time to time. And that’s were a new mobile on-line service may be the answer for many expats and travellers in France who want to be able to have on-line access during, say the property hunt, but are not yet ready to commit to lengthy and expensive packages with the national networks. Flexibility, cost efficiency and simplicity are the key requirements and that’s exactly what you’ll find with a new service being introduced by 0044 Limited, the French mobile and SIM card specialists based in the UK. 0044.co.uk also provide an International SIM card and a Global SIM card.

Take, for instance, very occasional users. If you just need to pick up and send email and briefly browse the web then this can be achieved with a normal French Orange GSM SIM card. Providing your handset is reasonably new and data enabled for GPRS (general packet radio service) then, you can insert the 0044 French SIM, go to, for instance, the Nokia web site if you have a Nokia handset, click on support, enter the SIM details and number and you’ll receive APN (access point name) settings automatically. When you’re in France you’ll then be able to access email once it’s configured and browse the web at reasonable data rates (£3.50 per MB or mega byte) without committing to a separate data contract. Obviously screen size affects clarity but it does the job and can be a neat, cost effective starting point to get you up and running. The same SIM can be inserted into a data card for use with a lap top.

Similarly a Global SIM card or an International SIM card could also be used to download data. The Global SIM card that 0044 Ltd provides comes with full data instructions and data rates start at only £3.30 per MB. The Global SIM card, or International SIM, as it is sometimes known as will also provide coverage in 130 countries for voice and text functions. So, if data usage is important outside of France and across Europe you may wish to consider a Global SIM card or an International SIM card as an alternative. For full details on the Global SIM card please visit; http://www.0044.co.uk/international/sim-card

For a ‘richer’ web experience, as they say, then the best solution comes in the form of a USB stick (sometimes referred to as a ‘dongle’). A USB (universal serial bus) is a small device about the size of a disposable cigarette lighter. It contains a data enabled SIM card which is pre-loaded into the device. You simply plug the USB stick into the appropriate port on your lap top or desk top PC and it automatically downloads the settings and you’re ready to go. Any computer running a compatible Operating System; Windows 2000 Pro, Personal and XP Pro/Home, Vista and MAC OS X. A minimum of 512MB RAM and at least 25MB of free hard disk space is required as well. You’ll find the French data USB is compatible with all commercial web browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Opera.You then decide whether you need to buy one-off data ‘bundles’ which start at 50 mega bytes (equating to around £0.58 per MB), or subscribe to an annual contract for data bundles depending on your needs and the amount of time you spend in France. Broadly speaking a 50MB bundle will allow you to browse the web for 1.5 hrs, send and receive around 15 emails, down load or upload 7 documents and the same for photographs.

The clever thing about the USB device is that it will also let you access WIFI hotspots across France. These are areas with WIFI coverage which means that once you are located within them you can use the device to access the internet for free without impinging on any of the data bundle you opt to buy into. You’ll also be able to maintain your existing email address you use and dial into that account remotely from France to check any emails and respond. Using POP email or Web based email won’t affect receiving email with the USB, as the email is received over the internet, so it doesn’t matter what internet connection you use. And it’s not just about user experience or simplicity. The savings you can make compared to the same sort of facility being provided by your UK mobile operator are significant and can be as much as 50% on data costs alone, leaving aside the additional commitments a UK operator would require in the way of contract duration and add-ons.

Mobile on-line solutions like the French data solutions, Global SIM card or International SIM card are invaluable tools enabling the user to be on-line whilst in France, especially when they are going through the process of buying a property. If your circumstances mean that you’re living out of a caravan, camper van or B&B’s then you’ll at least be able to stay ahead of the game, keep up to speed with the market and view a wide range of possible properties whilst you are located nearby.