French Southern Territories
Power & telecom standards in French Southern Territories
Connectivity Overview
Tempest Telecom offered satellite-only service in French Southern Territories. Iridium satellite Internet and Voice access was available for communications in rural areas without infrastructure.
French Southern Territories uses 220V at 50Hz. Power outlets are type C, E and telephone jacks are RJ-11.
Dial-up Internet Access
Dial-up access was not available in French Southern Territories. Satellite Internet was the recommended alternative.
WiFi Hotspot Access
WiFi hotspot access was not available through Tempest in French Southern Territories.
Adapters & Power
Travelers from North America will need a power plug adapter. European Type C/F adapters are widely compatible.
Standard RJ-11 jacks are used. Most international modems will connect without an adapter.
French Southern Territories at a Glance
- Capital
- Port-aux-Francais
- Phone Code
- +262
- Voltage
- 220V / 50Hz
- Power Plug
- C, E
- Phone Jack
- RJ-11
- Currency
- Euro
- Dial-up
- N/A
- WiFi
- N/A
About connectivity in French Southern Territories
The French Southern and Antarctic Territories (TAAF) use French electrical standards: 220V/50Hz with Type C and Type E outlets. The phone jack is RJ-11. The territory comprises uninhabited subantarctic islands and Adélie Land in Antarctica; there is no permanent civilian population.
TAAF Internet access is provided through limited research-station infrastructure, primarily for scientific personnel rotating through bases like Dumont d'Urville (Adélie Land), Port-aux-Français (Kerguelen), Alfred Faure (Crozet), and Martin-de-Viviès (Amsterdam Island). Satellite connectivity dominates.
There is no commercial prepaid calling-card market given the territory's lack of permanent civilian population.
Tempest Telecom served the TAAF through Iridium satphones — the territory was one of the most concentrated Iridium customer bases globally per population given the polar research-station operations, the maritime industry transiting the subantarctic shipping lanes, and the IPEV (French Polar Institute) logistics.
Modern TAAF infrastructure remains research-station-dependent, with satellite connectivity central to all operations.
Tempest's services across French Southern Territories, 1997–2012
Tempest Telecommunications operated international connectivity services in French Southern Territories between 1997 and 2012 under a unified prepaid account that absorbed multiple service types onto a single customer credential. Customers in French Southern Territories drew from the same balance for pre-paid international voice calling, RADIUS-authenticated dial-up Internet roaming, metered Wi-Fi hotspot access, Iridium satellite voice, and Inmarsat BGAN data terminals. An attempted kiosk-payment federation (PATN, 1998) extended the same architecture to public Internet terminals but failed to reach scale.
Iridium satellite voice was available in French Southern Territories from approximately 2001 (post-bankruptcy relaunch). Thuraya coverage did not extend to French Southern Territories; Inmarsat BGAN data terminals filled the broadband gap from late 2005.