Before you start

Passport, for a prepaid SIM
A French RIB, for most contract tariffs
An unlocked or eSIM-capable handset
A French address, for fibre installation

Step-by-step

1
Buy a prepaid SIM on your passport on arrival
Available at the airport, in phone shops and in tabacs. Identity verification is required but a passport is enough. A French number in your first hours unlocks bank verification and appointment systems.
In personWho: YouDay 1
2
Move to a no-commitment contract once you have a RIB
French sans engagement tariffs are month-to-month and remarkably cheap for large data allowances. There is no reason to accept a twelve or twenty-four month commitment unless a subsidised handset is genuinely worth it, and it usually is not.
OnlineWho: You
3
Order fibre as soon as you have an address
Lyon has very good fibre coverage and prices are low. Installation usually takes one to three weeks and may need a technician visit, and in older Presqu'île and Croix-Rousse buildings it can depend on what has already been run into the building.
OnlineWho: You
4
Check the building before assuming fibre in old stock
The tall nineteenth-century silk-workers' buildings on the Croix-Rousse and much of Vieux Lyon have their own quirks, and getting fibre in can require the building's agreement. Ask the landlord or agent what is already installed, ideally before you sign.
OnlineWho: You
5
Keep your number when you switch
Request your RIO code by calling a free shortcode from the line you want to port, then give it to the new operator, which handles the switch. Never cancel first — you lose the number.
Mobile appWho: You
6
Check coverage if you will spend time in the Alps
Urban coverage across Lyon is strong on all networks. The mountain valleys ninety minutes east are a different matter and the operators differ substantially. If your weekends will involve the Alps, compare coverage maps for the valleys you will actually use.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport, for prepaid registration
French RIB, for a contract
Justificatif de domicile, for fibre

Things most newcomers don’t know

French mobile is cheap in a way that surprises almost every arrival.

The entry of a disruptive fourth operator in 2012 triggered a price war whose effects never reversed, and France now has some of the lowest mobile tariffs in western Europe. Large-data plans with no commitment cost a fraction of the UK or German equivalent. Anyone paying a high monthly mobile bill here has simply not looked at what is available.

Source: Arcep

Sans engagement is the default worth choosing.

France's no-commitment tariffs are month-to-month, cheap and switchable, and they exist precisely because of the market's competitive structure. A subsidised handset bundled into a two-year contract almost always costs more in total than buying the phone outright and taking a no-commitment plan — and it removes your ability to switch when a better offer appears, which happens often here.

Source: community-reported

The RIO code is how you keep your number, and you request it from your own line.

Call the free shortcode from the phone you want to port and you are given a RIO code, which you hand to the new operator. They handle the switch and the old contract terminates automatically. Cancelling the old service first loses the number permanently. Very few newcomers know the shortcode exists.

Source: Arcep

Fibre in a Croix-Rousse building can depend on the building, not the street.

The tall silk-workers' buildings and the older Presqu'île stock were not designed for modern cabling, and getting fibre into a specific flat can require the building's co-ownership to have agreed to the installation. Two flats on the same street can have different answers. If a fast connection matters for your work, make it a question at the viewing.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Signing a two-year commitment when no-commitment tariffs are cheap and switchable.
Cancelling your old service before requesting the RIO code and losing the number.
Assuming fibre is available in an older building without checking.
Paying a high monthly mobile bill in one of Europe's cheapest markets.
Choosing a network on urban performance without checking Alpine valley coverage.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.