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Telephone numbers in France

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Telephone numbers in Metropolitan France
5 geographic zones
Location
CountryMetropolitan France
ContinentEurope
RegulatorARCEP
TypeClosed
NSNlength9
Format0x xx xx xx xx
Access codes
Country code33
International access00
Long-distance0

TheFrench telephone numbering planis used inMetropolitan France,Frenchoverseas departmentsand someoverseas collectivities.

Since 1996, Metropolitan France uses a ten-digitclosed numbering plan,where the first two digits denote a geographic area, mobile or non-geographic number.

  • 01Île-de-France
  • 02Northwest France
  • 03Northeast France
  • 04Southeast France
  • 05Southwest France
  • 06Mobile phone services
  • 07Mobile phone services
  • 08Special phone numbers:Freephone(numéro vert) and shared-cost services.
  • 09Non-geographic number (used byVoice over IPservices)

All geographic numbers are dialed in the ten-digit format, even for local calls. Theinternational access codeis theInternational Telecommunication Union's recommended00.[1]When calling France from abroad, theleading zeroshould be omitted: for example, to call a number in Southwest France, one would dial +33 5 xx xx xx xx. French people usually state phone numbers as a sequence of five double-digit numbers, e.g., 0x xx xx xx xx (and not, for example, 0 xxx-xxx-xxx or 0xxx-xx-xxxx or 0xx-xxx-xxxx).[2]

Overseas departments and collectivities have separate country codes and different number formats.

Overseas departments and territories

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TheFrench overseas departments(départements d'outre merorDOM) have separatecountry codesfrom metropolitanFrance,withRéunionbeing assigned the code 262[3]whileGuadeloupe,French GuianaandMartiniquewere assigned the codes 590, 594 and 596 respectively.[4]Until 1996, the use of the international access code 19 and country code was required for calls from metropolitan France.[1]For example, to call Guadeloupe from metropolitan France, a subscriber would dial 19 590 xxx xxx, 590 being the country code.[5]This included the islands ofSaint BarthelemyandSaint Martin,which later separated from Guadeloupe to become collectivities, although they still use the same country code. By contrast, calls to metropolitan France from the overseas departments only required the use of the trunk code 16.[1]

However, under the new present French numbering plan, direct dialling was introduced for calls between the DOMs (includingcollectivités territoriales) and metropolitanFrance,requiring only the '0' to be dialed, with the country code being used as a geographical area code.[6]Despite this, the 33 country code was not adopted for calls to the DOMs from the rest of the world, because of technical difficulties with operators in neighbouring countries, for example, calls toRéunionfromMauritiuswould have to be routed via metropolitan France, adversely affecting voice quality as well as increasing call costs.[7]

In 2001, telephone numbers in the DOMs changed to the same ten-digit format as metropolitan France, with new prefixes beginning with the digit '6' being adopted for mobile phone services:

Guadeloupe, Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin

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From France:

  • Fixed phone line:0 590xx xx xx
  • Mobile phone line:0 690xx xx xx or0 691xx xx xx

Outside France:

  • Fixed phone line:+590 590xx xx xx
  • Mobile phone line:+590 690xx xx xx or+590 691xx xx xx

French Guiana

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From France:

  • Fixed phone line:0 594xx xx xx
  • Mobile phone line:0 694xx xx xx

Outside France:

  • Fixed phone line:+594 594xx xx xx
  • Mobile phone line:+594 694xx xx xx

Martinique

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From France:

  • Fixed phone line:0 596xx xx xx
  • Mobile phone line:0 696xx xx xx or0 697xx xx xx

Outside France:

  • Fixed phone line:+596 596xx xx xx
  • Mobile phone line:+596 696xx xx xx or+596 697xx xx xx

Réunion

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From France:

  • Fixed phone line:0 262xx xx xx or0 263xx xx xx
  • Mobile phone line:0 692xx xx xx or0 693xx xx xx

Outside France:

  • Fixed phone line:+262 262xx xx xx or+262 263xx xx xx
  • Mobile phone line:+262 692xx xx xx or+262 693xx xx xx

Others

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Before 30 March 2007 thecollectivité départementaleofMayotteused country code +269, shared with theComoros:

  • From France, including Mayotte:0 269xx xx xx
  • From Comoros: xx xx xx
  • Outside France and Comoros:+269xx xx xx

On 30 March 2007 Mayotte adopted the +262 code, used by Réunion, and a new numbering range was introduced for mobile phones:

  • From France:
    • Fixed phone line:0 269xx xx xx
    • Mobile phone line:0 639xx xx xx
  • Outside France:
    • Fixed phone line:+262 269xx xx xx
    • Mobile phone line:+262 639xx xx xx

Calls toSaint Pierre and Miquelonrequire only '0',country codeand the subscriber's six-digit number, e.g.:

  • From France:0 508xx xx xx
  • Outside France:+508xx xx xx

Calls to and from theterritoires d'outre mer,however, require full international dialing, hence the international access code and country code must be used:

  • Paris from New Caledonia:00 331 xx xx xx xx
  • New Caledonia from Paris:00 687xx xx xx

History

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For many years, French subscribers' telephone numbers consisted of eight digits (including the one-digit area code 1 for all of Paris and its surrounding departments, or a two-digit area code from 20 to 99 for other metropolitan departments; this area code was dialed only after the trunk code 16). The territories ofOverseas Franceall had their own local numbering plans and used their own country codes but no area codes, and calls between different territories orMetropolitan Francerequired a dialing international call using the international call prefix 19 followed by the country code, area code, and subscriber number.

But that system began to run out of numbers in the 1980s, leading to the adoption of a new "eight-digit" numbering plan on 25 October 1985.[8]On that date, France changed to a system of two zones, one for Paris and the surroundingÎle-de-Franceand another for the other departments.[9]Outside Paris, the old area code was incorporated into the subscriber's eight-digit number; for Paris, the area code 1 was retained, and a 4 was prefixed to seven-digit numbers, meaning that a subscriber's number could begin with 40, for example 4056 1873. For numbers in theÎle-de-Francesurrounding Paris, the old codes 3x and 6x joined the old seven-digit numbers to become eight-digit numbers and were assigned to the Paris area code 1, with the trunk prefix 16 required for calls from the rest of France, followed by the area code 1 for Paris and the eight-digit number.[10]To call the rest of France fromParis,however, the trunk prefix 16 had to be dialed before the eight-digit number.

On 18 October 1996, this changed to the present "ten-digit" system (including the default one-digit leading trunk code 0), in which each call is dialed using all ten digits, this national scheme being also extended to cover Overseas France in a single area.[6]Area codes were abolished, and since then France has had a closed numbering plan, where all local or national calls require dialing the leading trunk code.

Following liberalisation in 1998, subscribers (first deployed on land lines and rapidly extended to all mobile networks) could access different carriers by replacing the leading trunk code 0 (omitted from numbers when called from outside France) with another carrier selection code (one digit from 2 to 9, or four digits 16xx). For example, Cegetel required subscribers to dial 7; e.g., Paris 71 xx xx xx xx, instead of 01 xx xx xx xx. Similarly, the international access code using Cegetel would be 70 instead of 00 by replacing the first 0.[11]Since then, the carrier selection code still exists, but carrier preselection (and number portability) is offered by default on all subscriber lines, and the one-digit carrier selection is rarely used. As well, several important national operators merged, and the four-digit carrier selection only persists for subscribers of various international service providers (most of them for mobile telephony, but these carrier selection prefixes are often dialed internally by a terminal device and callers don't need to care about it, unless they want to select carriers for different services). Additionally, call fees no longer depend on distance throughout the French numbering plan, so carrier selection remains used only for international calls.

The 09 prefix was introduced for non-geographic numbers and special services in September 2006[12]and older numbers such as 08 7x xx xx xx (used for VoIP in Internet boxes) were replaced by 09 5x xx xx xx (telephone service offered byInternet service providerFree,later followed by other French ISPs).[citation needed]

The national information service 12 was closed in 2005 which led to the creation of many new information services 118 xxx. They cost €3 per call plus €3 per minute.

Defunct prefixes

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Changed in 1996:

  • 16 - Long distance prefix - Changed to: 0
  • 19 - International prefix - Changed to: 00

The second dial tone was also removed. Dialling procedures now reflectETSIandITUrecommendations.

Andorra and Monaco

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Until 17 December 1994,Andorraformed part of the French numbering plan, with calls from France requiring the prefix 628,[13](or 16 628 fromParis).[14]Those from the rest of the world were made using +33 628,[15]except from Spain, which were made using the prefix 9738.[14]On that date, theprincipalityadopted thecountry code+376.[16]Consequently, all calls from France to Andorra had to be dialled in international format, using the prefix 19 376.[17]This was later changed to 00 376, along with the second French reform of 1996 to the newer "ten-digit" plan.[18]

On 21 June 1996,Monacosimilarly adopted its owncountry code+377,replacing access from France (+33 93).[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcLe téléphone refait son numéro. Fin 1996, la numérotation passera à dix chiffres, sans le 16 et le 19Archived2022-10-31 at theWayback Machine,Libération,17 May 1995
  2. ^"ANNU.COM - L'annuaire inversé!".annu.Retrieved30 September2019.
  3. ^White BookArchived2020-08-08 at theWayback Machine,Volume 2, Part 1, International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee,International Telecommunication Union,1969, page 29
  4. ^Yellow book: International telephone service: operationArchived2020-08-08 at theWayback Machine,International Telecommunication Union, International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee. Plenary Assembly International Telecommunication Union, 1981, page 87
  5. ^Cruising WorldArchived2022-10-31 at theWayback Machine,August 1991, page 103
  6. ^abTéléphone: 10 chiffres pour préparer l'arrivée de la concurrence et des nouveaux servicesArchived2020-08-08 at theWayback Machine,Les Echos,18 October 1996
  7. ^Nouvelle numérotation téléphonique et départements d'outre-merArchived2022-10-31 at theWayback Machine,Sénat,2 January 1997
  8. ^MédiaspouvoirsArchived2022-10-31 at theWayback Machine,Issues 1-5, Bayard-Presse, 1985, page 146
  9. ^Nouvelle numérotation, nouvelle communication: le succès sur toute la ligneArchived2022-10-31 at theWayback Machine,Simone Muet,Jacques Hintzy,Documentation française, 1986, page 78
  10. ^Nonconventional EnergyArchived2020-08-08 at theWayback Machine,Ashok V. Desai, New Age International, 1990
  11. ^Cegetel inaugure le premier service grand public concurrent de France TélécomArchived2022-10-31 at theWayback Machine,Les Echos,2 February 1998
  12. ^"art-telecom"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on 14 September 2021.Retrieved3 February2019.
  13. ^Fodor's EuropeArchived2020-08-08 at theWayback Machine,Eugene Fodor, D. McKay., 1993, page 52
  14. ^abMediterranean EuropeArchived2022-03-26 at theWayback Machine,Lonely Planet,1995, page 104
  15. ^The Merrill Lynch Euromoney DirectoryArchived2022-10-31 at theWayback Machine,Euromoney Publications PLC, 1988, page 1
  16. ^Japan DirectoryArchived2020-08-08 at theWayback Machine,Issue 1, Japan Press, 1995, page 44
  17. ^Fodor's EuropeArchived2022-10-31 at theWayback Machine,Eugene Fodor, D. McKay, 1996, page 35
  18. ^Paris MatchArchived2022-10-31 at theWayback Machine,Issues 2519-2522, 1997, page 304
  19. ^Hydrographic Review,Volume 73, International Hydrographic Bureau, 1996, page 179
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