New rules on telephone canvassing came into force on January 1. They have led to confusion as to which numbers can be used by call centres.
This is one of the major changes that came into effect on January 1, 2023. Telephone numbers starting with 06 and 07 can no longer be used for commercial canvassing. From now on, they are reserved for individuals with a mobile phone – in the collective imagination, these two numbers are largely associated with mobile telephony.
This revision of the rules on numbering had been planned since the beginning of September 2022 – at the time, the telecoms regulator had communicated on the subject, within the framework of modernization of the allocation and role of the various numbersdepending on how they start: 01-05, 06-07, 09, etc. (including short numbers, especially emergency numbers).
Confusion about the numbers to filter to avoid cold calling
However, this reorganization was accompanied by a source of confusion. Admittedly, it is no longer possible to use the numbers in 06 and 07 for cold calling from a call center. In this case, in which category do these commercial solicitations fall? And is it possible to identify a “pattern” on these numbers to identify and filter them?
This is indeed the case, but it is not the right “pattern” that was targeted at the beginning. As noted by the site NextInpactseveral media have advised as an anti-soliciting trick to block numbers starting with 0937, 0838 and 0939. However, these are not the numbers that need to be countered. On the contrary, they must always be reachable.
All numbers beginning with these three combinations relate to commercial communications, but which respond to a request from you. These are so-called ephemeral connections, when you are in contact with a delivery person, a technician or a VTC. These numbers can be used, for example, to send you text messages or to reach you by voice.
That’s what reminds the telecoms regulator on January 3. These numbers are used by professionals who use a conversation platform to exchange, in particular by SMS, with their customers (for delivery, making appointments, VTC driver, troubleshooting, etc.) “. Unless you want to miss a delivery of a piece of furniture or your taxi ride, it is better not to filter them.
In summary, numbers starting with:
must always be accessible if you want to remain reachable by third-party services, in particular that you have requested
What numbers can be used for canvassing
On the other hand, there are many numbers from automated systems for cold calling. These numbers are:
For metropolitan France, they start with:
- 0162 and 0163;
- 0270 and 0271;
- 0377 and 0378;
- 0424 and 0425;
- 0568 and 0569;
- 0948 and 0949.
For overseas France, they begin with:
- 09475 (Guadeloupe, St-Martin, St-Barthélemy);
- 09476 (Guyana);
- 09477 (Martinique);
- 09478, 09479 (Reunion, Mayotte).
How to limit cold calling?
If you want peace of mind, you have several levers at your disposal: you can register with Bloctel to refuse cold calling — this service is now very convenient, since you no longer have to renew your registration from time to time . Your presence on this red list is renewed automatically by default since 2022.
If calls are still going through, there is always the option of blocking numbers on your phone, on a case-by-case basis. Another point to note which also goes in the direction of individuals: cold calling will undergo new constraints from March 1st. Calls on public holidays, weekends and during certain time slots will be prohibited.
