Will my cordless phone and headset, purchased at Radio Shack in
Canada, work on a land line with France Telecom?
I assume I need a transformer for 110 to 220 electricity,but do not
know if the phone part is compatable.

Dear sebbie,

Your Canadian phone will work in France as long as you purchase or
borrow an appropriate plug adapter.

It doesn't matter that your phone is cordless, since your
handset/headset and your base unit communicate independently of the
local phone line. Only the base unit plugs into the phone line, and
your Canadian base unit does speak the same language as the French
phone system. The French and Canadian POTS landlines, like most
landlines around the world, are built to the same standards and are
compatible with each other.

The only trouble you'll encounter is making the actual connection
between your base unit and the French phone jack, since wall outlets
are shaped differently in North America and in France. The Canadian
base unit uses a cord with an American-style, male RJ-11 connector.
You want to plug this into a female French phone jack.

A French male connector, the kind that French phones are equipped
with, looks like this.

"French phone plug"
http://kropla.com/france.htm

So you're looking to purchase or borrow a phone-plug adapter that
accepts a male RJ-11 connector and turns it into a male French
connector. Never fear, you can order such an adapter from Magellan's.
Although based in the States, Magellan's will ship worldwide.

Magellan's: Modular Telephone Adaptor - France
http://www.magellans.com/store/Electrical___Phone_AdaptorsET071D?Args=

Magellan's: Shipping Information
http://www.magellans.com/store/shipping_info?Args=

You might also be lucky enough to find yourself in a place that uses
the American-style wall outlets, since RJ-11 is increasingly being
used in new installations in France. If you know where you'll be
staying, ask ahead.

If you feel that my answer is incomplete or inaccurate in any way, please
post a clarification request so that I have a chance to meet your needs
before you assign a rating.

Regards,

leapinglizard

Excellent answer. It went beyond the orginal question to address
problems I would run into in implementing the answer ~ including
suggested sources for missing bits. Bravo.

There is one non-technical issue to check, however. The use of
wireless devices is typically regulated on a country by country basis.
It's possible that the frequency band, power, or modulation method of
the Canadian phone may not meet the French wireless device
requirements.

Hi Gopman, 
Thanks very much for your comment. I'll see what I can find out and
then weigh the options.

I agree with Gopman. US cordless phones are illegal in the UK and, as
much of the radio spectrum is managed in a European basis, are
probably also illegal in France.

Even if the frequency is the same, a US phone will not have been Type
Approved and carry the appropriate CE mark, so will be illegal to use
(and possibly even possess).

Owain

I had not considered the legal strictures when I tackled this
question, only the technological ones. I shall use my French language
skills to see whether I can confirm that North American cordless phone
sets are legal in France. So far, my search queries through Google
France have found no evidence to support the theory that they are
illegal. In fact, North American cordless phones are widely available
for sale on French websites.

It is indeed the case that American digital wireless sets are not
permitted in Britain, but British bandwidth regulations do not apply
throughout the EU. As for the comment above regarding CE marks, it is
not the case that only devices bearing them are permitted for consumer
importation and use in Europe.

It is currently outside business hours in France. I shall call France
Telecom tomorrow to inquire about their position on cordless phones.

leapinglizard