Stay connected

Before your departure

We advise you to make sure you have a means of communication for the first few days. To be able to communicate as soon as you arrive on French soil, ask your telephone operator in your country of origin.

Good to know:

• communication costs can be high depending on your country of origin and your subscription;
• Many apps allow you to communicate via the Internet (without a telephone network);
• some public places offer free Wi-Fi connections, in particular train stations and airports, but also some cafés and shopping centers.

In France: getting a French phone plan

You can purcharse a subscription, commonly called a package. There are many packages and subscriptions: it is important to find out about cancellation conditions, international call costs and overage fees before signing a contract.

To take out a subscription with a French telephone operator, you must provide documents such as an identity document/passport, proof of accommodation/residence, residence permit, and means of payment. If you don’t want to commit, you can buy prepaid rechargeable cards (calls, SMS and internet).

The main telephone operators in France are Orange, SFR, Bouygues, Free etc. These operators also have “discount” services at more affordable prices (from 2€ for 2h of calls, unlimited SMS and 50 MB of data). You can also get information on websites comparing mobile packages:

• Quechoisir
• Lebonforfait
• touslesforfaits.fr

University wi-fi: Eduroam

The Eduroam wi-fi network is available to students free of charge. This network is accessible from multiple access points spread throughout the university campuses. You will be able to connect only when you have proceeded to your administrative registration and set up your UNICAEN digital account.

Connect to the Eduroam:

1. Select the Eduroam nestwork
2. Log in using your UNICAEN username and password

Self-service computer rooms

The Accueil et accompagnement des publics internationaux – AAPI space at the Maison de les langues et de l’international (Caen, Campus 1, Building i, li 242) provides international students with self-service computers, which can be accessed using the digital account login.

At Home

The situations differ from one type of accommodation to another. Find out individually if you have access to an internet network at home (this is often the case in university residences).

If your accommodation is not equipped with an internet connection, you can take out an internet subscription with one of the many internet service providers, including the major telephone operators: Orange, Bouygues, Free, SFR, etc. The price of a monthly subscription varies, depending on the options and the operator chosen, between 15 and 50€ per month. Most operators offer reduced prices for the first year of subscription as well as combined internet and mobile subscriptions. It is important to read your contract carefully to avoid unpleasant surprises.

Your digital account is the key to your access to UNICAEN digital universe: it will allow you to connect to the Wifi, to the self-service computers, to request your student card or to activate your IZLY account.
After your administrative registration at the university, you will receive an email on your personal mailbox to set up your digital account.

Everystudent has a UNICAEN e-mail address which is automatically created when they register (Name.surname@etu.unicaen.fr). It is this email address, accessible from the UNICAEN webmail (Zimbra), that you must use for your exchanges with the administrative and teaching staff of the university.
More than an email, Zimbra also offers the possibility to consult your university schedule.

From the digital services catalog, you can consult your personal information, your grades and results online, edit a certificate of attendance, etc.