French Phone system - Systeme de Numerotation en France (original) (raw)
| Country Code for France International Direct Dialing was set up in two steps. Before 1960 one could not call France without going through a Telephone Opérator. 1960 a first Pan European and Mediterranian Direct Dialing system was established. The system was a precursor for today's World phone system. Two digit country codes were attributed to 40 countries. Codes started with +20 for Poland and ended with +69 for Russia 
Jacques Marette (1922 - 1984) later the French Minister des Postes et Telecommunication understood the strategic importance to get a very easy to remember and very beautiful sounding country code. He managed to obtain the double 3, +33 county code for France. (If anybody should know more details of how Marette was able to get the +33 codeplease contact the Phonebook of the World, as the editorof this article would be interested, mail "c at vb.com".) 1964 the phone system was extended to the world. 9 World Telecom Zones were created: +1 for North America +2 for Africa +3 and +4 for Europe +5 for South America +6 for South Asia +7 for Russia +8 for North Asia +9 for the Middle East. | |
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| | Country codes were attributed in a Geneva Conference organized by the International Telecommunications Union - ITU. 
6 of the European Countries that already had a double digit country code starting with 3 or 4 were able to keep it. +30 for Greece +33 for France +39 for Italy +44 for the United Kingdom +46 for Sweden +49 for West Germany Thus France was able to kept it's prestigeous +33 and the UK it's +44 country code. In most cases Latin countries have a country code +3x. Germanic countries have a country code +4x Larger countries have a 2-digit code, smaller countries a 3-digit code. Only two more countries have a symetric double digit code, Brazil +55 and Thailand +66 small anecdote: In the case of Brazil, it is possible that Jacques Marette, in the meantime French PTT Minister helped to get it's prestigeous Brazilian +55 phone code. He wanted to make a favor to Aimée de Heeren, a beautiful Brazilian woman that had contacted him with this request. Aimée de Heeren and her friend Coco Chanel had the crazy idea that +55 would be a lucky number ... As a result Aimée de Heeren, once a Brazilian Secret Service agent for President Vargas did everything she could to influce the attribution of the phone code. More in the history section of the Brazilian Whitepages, Whitepages.com.br The city of Paris honored Marette by naming a square in the 15th arrondissement, place Jacques Marette. You find all the country codes of the world on the homepage of the Phonebook of the World (just below the World Map). French Numbering Plancame into service 1996 October 18. small anecdote: the editor of Whitepages.fr remembers the moment very well ... at the time he was working as a sales agent for the American Call Back company MTC. The Callback office was located at the Cybercafe de Paris, the first Internet Cafe in Paris, today the expo Center Cremerie de Paris. ... 1996 October 18 the phone switch occured at 11pm french time ... he had to answer test calls all night Heide Osterlye Collins from the MTC phonecompany in Petaluma, California was verifiying if Call Back switches had been re programmed correctly in the US) It is a 10-digit numbering scheme where all phonenumbers, fixed and mobile have the same lenght. all French phonenumbers have 9-digits after the country code +33 x xx xx xx xx or 10-digits if dialed from inside France (including a 0 before the 9-digit number) 0x xx xx xx xx Phonenumbers indicate the geographic location 01 for Paris and Paris Area (Ile de France) 02 for Northwest France including Normandy and Brittany 03 for Northeast France including Alsace and Lorraine 04 for Southeast France including the Côte d´Azur 05 for Southwest France including Aquitaine Mobile phones start with 06 since mai 2010 some new Mobile phones will start with 07 Free Phones (Numeros Verts) and Extra Charged Phones (Numeros surtaxés) start with 08 0800 xx xx xx numers are free of charges numbers from 0810 to 0899 apply extra charges Voice over IP Phone (Lifebox) start with 09 These phonenumbers appear when France Telecom subscribers use a "Lifebox" to place a call. The 09 numbers are confusing as they do no longer indicate the geographic location in France. | |
| | **Old French numbering plan:**in the old numbering plan valid until 1996 France was divided into 2 zones Paris Area (ile de France) and the rest of France to dial from one zone to the other one had to dial 16 followed by a 8-digit number to call to another country one had to dial 19 (instead of 00) until 1994 December 17 Andorra and until 1996 june 21 Monaco were part of the French phonesystem and both countries also had the country code +33 due to the reunification of Germany, the country code of the DDR, East Germany +37 had become available. It was used by the International Telecom Union to create 10 new country codes which are mostly located in eastern Europe. Andorra received the country code +376, Monaco which applied 2 years later the country code +377, San Marino received the country code +378, and the Vatican that was the next to apply +379 small anecdote: Prince Rainer of Monaco was very keen to get Monaco out of the French phone system as he wanted to do everything possible to guarantee Monaco´sindependance from France after his times. The editor of whitepages.fr happened to be in Monaco in june 1996 and the concierge of the Hotel Hermitage explained all these aspects of the phone changes He had just bought his first GSM Phone a Sony CM-DX 1000 and it was a special feeling to travel with a phone in the hands . | |