The 07 will be arriving in May on mobile - April 2, 2010
Shortage of 06 in sight. With a growing number of mobile customers, operators are back to the wall: they have but of 06 enough in stock to meet demand opening line. Of the 100 million initially available, this number had already more than 10 million in early 2009. Given that 3 million of them are reserved for new entrant Free, it is urgent.
Anticipating the facts, the Regulatory Authority for electronic communications (Arcep) decided last year to open a new slice numbering. It will come into force from 3 May. On that date, any new client Bouygues and Orange will have a mobile number starting with 07. SFR wait for mid-July.
The 06 will survive much longer
This change in the mobile world will not cause much loss to total 06 in the years close.Indeed, when a customer will change mobile number, his old number 06 will be retained by around 6 months by the operator who can then reassign it to a new customer. In addition, all customers will retain their current number 06.
The 10 million of 06 remaining stocks will be allocated to new customers but also customers to 3G keys and all those that have computers connected on line pay day loans.
Avoid misunderstandings
At two months of launch, operators have only one concern: to prevent consumers associate the 07 to a premium number. Their experience with 087 assigned to their ADSL customers left a bitter taste. In December 2005, Arcep had in fact authorized operators to assign a number starting with 087 for their customers Voice over DSL box.The failure was total, involving all the users 08 to premium-rate numbers. Four years later, 087 were replaced by 09.
To ensure that history does not happen with mobile phones, operators are now launching a comprehensive plan of communication with customers and media. But they believe the risk of confusion should be less because the 07 is a continuation of 06. The market has in any way other choice but to find an alternative to the traditional prefix. A study of Bouygues Telecom, the mobile number needs to be 72 million by 2020.
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