Telephone Solicitation: 06 And 07 Numbers Soon To Be Banned

Faced with the scourge of commercial telephone canvassing, the French regulatory authority for electronic communications, posts and press distribution (Arcep) has decided to help consumers recognize commercial calls. As of January 1, 2023, telephone canvassing platforms will no longer be able to use numbers beginning with 06 or 07. Here is a deciphering of this measure.

What will change in 2023?

From next year, a measure will come into force in France that should simplify the life of consumers harassed by commercial telephone solicitation (unsolicited calls or SMS).

If you are no longer able to filter these unwanted calls, you should know that from January 1, 2023, this filtering will be easier.

Indeed, the calling platforms will no longer be able to call you with numbers starting with 06 or 07 nor with geographical numbers with prefixes from 01 to 05 for metropolitan France.

As these numbers are associated by most of us with mobile or landline phones belonging to individuals, Arcep has decided to ban their use for cold calling and to create a new category of numbers for commercial calls.

Which numbers will be reserved for commercial use?

Starting in 2023, cold calling platforms that send you unsolicited messages and calls will have to use numbers beginning with 09.

Until now, calling platforms have used numbers starting with 06 or 07 because they are associated in our minds with privately owned cell phones and that allowed them to get a better response rate.

From January 1, 2023, it will be easier to recognize commercial calls because the numbers used will necessarily start with:
- 09 37
- 09 38
- 09 39

These numbers will be reserved for this purpose in accordance with an ARCEP decision dated September 1, 2022 and the new national numbering plan (see link below).

The creation of a category of numbers reserved for commercial calls should also help avoid the exhaustion of 10-digit cell phone numbers starting with 06 or 07.

In metropolitan France, the mobile number allocation rate is already approaching 90%, leaving only a few tens of millions of 06 and 07 numbers available.

What will these numbers be used for?

By reserving certain numbers for commercial use, Arcep aims to better protect users against abusive telephone solicitation. With numbers starting with 09 37, 09 38 and 09 39, you will be able to identify the commercial nature of a call much more easily.

Note, however, that these numbers are not necessarily synonymous with unwanted calling. They may also be used by commercial platforms such as Uber or Doctolib to get in touch with you for useful things, for example:
- notifying you of a package delivery
- notifying you of the arrival of a VTC driver
- remind you of a medical appointment by automated reminder...

To note: some individuals who have a box for telephony and Internet will also keep a landline number starting with 09... If some of your relatives are concerned, think of entering their number in the directory of your phone or in your contacts to be able to recognize them and take their calls.