Communiqué de presse

Public call for comments on changes to the numbering plan in French Overseas Départements

Paris, 18 January 2000

Autorité de régulation des télécommunications (ART) is launching a call for comments on changes to the numbering plan in France's four Overseas Départements (DOM).

  • The current situation

Today, two numbering formats are used within any single Overseas Département for calls to other DOMs:

- the short, 6-digit format, which was kept when the numbering plan was changed on 18 October 1996
- the standard 10-digit format, which is used in Metropolitan France

Mobile telephone numbers are included in the geographic plan and are no different from fixed numbers; they cannot be easily identified as they are in Metropolitan France (there, all mobile phone numbers begin with '06').

In theory, DOMs have 1 million numbers each. However, in reality, they have only 800,000 because of the 6-digit numbering plan which forbids the use of numbers beginning with 0 and 1.

The DOM numbering plan is almost saturated: the number of numbers currently assigned to operators is:

- 640,000 for Reunion
- 550,000 for Martinique
- 520,000 for Guadeloupe
- 180,000 for Guyana

  • Changes require preparation

This means that the numbering plan in the DOMs will have to be reorganized in the short term; the first goal being to increase available numbering resources. This will also bring the DOMs in line with Metropolitan France and ensure the plan is similar to that used in France and that it is used for the long term.

The proposed changes continue the homogeneisation efforts in the DOMs and Metropolitan France, which were begun with the numbering plan adopted on 18 October 1996. They generalize the 10-digit numbering format within each DOM (eliminating the 6-digit format) and keep the DOMs' country codes for international calls.

As for numbers assigned to mobile telphones in DOMs, it has been suggested that the same format be used as in Metropolitan France, i.e. a 10-digit number with the form: 06 XX XX XX XX. Each DOM would be assigned a specific series of 1 million mobile numbers beginning with 06.


Linked documents

The call for comments will close on 28 February 2000. It can be  read and downloaded  on ART's Web site fr