France, they say, is a slow-paced country. It created a 1980s precursor to the internet - Minitel - but the boxes that remain are a reminder that France has been snared by the English language-dominated web. That, at least, is the stereotype.

In reality, France is one of the European leaders in broadband internet penetration, with 36 per cent of households enjoying fast access to the web - higher than in Germany, the UK or Italy. By next year, according to research by Datamonitor, the penetration of digital subscriber lines will be higher than in any other European country or the US, largely because prices are the lowest in western Europe.