Do you have a home phone number? There is a change in 2023
There is a significant change to your landline number from 2023, if you move to mainland France. It’s geographic portability.
If you have a landline number, be aware that there is a change from January 1, 2023. If moving to mainland France, you can request a ” geographic portability from your home phone number, to save it. Including in areas that previously used area codes.
What is number portability?
If you have a cell phone subscription, you may have “ported the number” already. It is neither more nor less than a device that allows you to save your phone number when you switch from one carrier to another. This allows you to play the competition without changing numbers – which avoids having to alert all your contacts.
This portability requires communicating with your new operator, upon signing with him, your RIO:operator identity statement. This is the code obtained by dialing the telephone number (3179). Altogether, this code consists of 12 alphanumeric characters. With your RIO, the new operator will handle all the steps to welcome you.
What is “geographical portability”?
Geographic portability is similar to portability in mobile telephony, except that it concerns landline phones, with the well-known numbers 01, 02, 03, 04, and 05. Each code corresponds to the geographical area of a metropolitan city: 01 for Île-de-France (IDF), 02 for the northwestern quarter, 03 for the northeastern quarter, and so on.
Fixed number portability existed in 1998 in embryonic form, before being extended in 2003. The changes announced for January 1, 2023 are part of this continuation, with major developments: on this date, it will be possible to keep landline numbers linked to geographic areas, including if you move to the other side of the country.
This means that you can keep your number at 01, even if you go to Bordeaux or Lille, while these two cities are in the territory associated with the numbers at 05 and 03. This is what the telecommunications regulator calls “degeography”. Your number on 02 no longer means that you’re calling from Brittany, Normandy, or Pays de la Loire.
This degeography isn’t just about deletion: if you live in Île-de-France, you can even ask your operator for numbers that don’t start with 01 directly. All landline numbers are eligible for the new rules, regardless of line usage (for calls or fax).
How do you benefit from this “geographical portability”?
Have you moved and want to keep your number? You have two options.
You want to keep your current carrier
The easiest way here is to approach your carrier to explain your situation. He is the one who will internally manage the proper routing of your incoming and outgoing calls from your new address – please note, this only applies if you are moving from mainland France to a new destination in mainland France.
You want to change carriers at the same time
If your geographic portability is complete when changing carriers, you will need a statement of carrier identity (RIO) for your landline. The process is free and similar to what you’re already doing with your phone:
- Call 3179 and write down the 12-character RIO code (you can also request it by SMS, email or receive it by post);
- Call the new carrier of your choice and provide your current RIO code and landline number. The procedure can in principle be carried out online, by phone or in a shop;
- Complete other steps when signing a contract with a new carrier;
- Move;
- Just that !
Is there any geographic portability for the 09 number?
Yes, fixed telephone numbers on 09 (which are historically unrelated to the geographical area of France) can also take advantage of this portability, but only at the metropolitan level. If overseas territories are involved in the process, it won’t work. The numbers in 09 are those associated with the ISP’s Internet box.
Do you work abroad?
If you live outside of metropolitan France, geographic portability is partial: you can, for example, save your landline number if you stay in the same area (eg, Martinique or Reunion). But if you move from this area, to another metropolis or overseas region, it will not work. You will need a new number.
