22 Oct 7 Miscellaneous measures
7.1 General remark
ARCEP decision #18-0881 is the first complete overhaul of the numbering plan and its management rules since 2005.
The notion of interpersonal numbers disappears in favor of territorial numbers, which includes interpersonal and M2M numbers.
7.2 Reallocation time (or quarantine duration) of a number
7.2.1 Measures
1.2.2019: The time to reassign a number (by an operator to an end-user) must be between three and six months, but can be reduced to two months in the event of a shortage. This measure comes into effect on February 1, 2019. Operators are invited to immediately request the necessary resources to avoid shortages.
7.2.2 Main implications
ARCEP wanted to standardize the quarantine duration of a number terminated by an end-user before reassignment to another client. Given the divergence of opinions, it confines itself to framing such a duration, which may vary (from three to six months) from one operator to another, from one type of number to another, or even in the time at the same operator for the same type of numbers.
7.3 Duration of first allocations limited to two years
7.3.1 Measures
1.10.2018: In order for the numbering resources to be used in the year following their allocation, the deadline for the first allocation of a resource by ARCEP to an operator is reduced to two years, unless the attributor demonstrates that this measure makes it impossible to make its investment profitable. This measure is applicable to applications received as of October 1, 2018.
7.3.2 Main implications
Such a measure, applicable to all types of numbers, has its origins in the overflows in value-added services. The public nature or otherwise of the fines imposed by the DGCCRF (Directorate General for Competition, Consumer affairs and Repression of Fraud) on Value-Added Service operators may therefore play a decisive role in renewing the allocation of VAS numbers to certain operators.
7.4 Obligation to open blocks of 10,000 numbers by sub-blocks of 1000 numbers
7.4.1 Measure
1.8.2018: A new sub-block can only be opened if each previous sub-block is affected more than 20% to an end-user, unless this prevents assigning to a customer the number of consecutive numbers this customer requires.
7.4.2 Main implications
For operators, the “opening by sub-block” process is urgently needed.
7.5 Extranet for requesting for numbering resources
The Authority is setting up an extranet for requests for numbering resources.
7.6 Restriction to mobile numbers of annual report of use of numbering resources
1.8.2018: The annual report on the use of dialing resources is limited to mobile numbers.
7.7 Obligation to keep up-to-date on royalties and reports to obtain new numbering resources
7.7.1 Measure
1.8.2018: No new allocation of numbering resources to operators which are not up-to-date of their numbering fee payments or their numbering resource usage reports.
7.7.2 Main implications
This measure is anchoring in law a long-standing practice of ARCEP.
7.8 Orphan Resources: Obligation to inform other operators before recovery
7.8.1 Measure
1.8.2018: in the event of the disappearance of an operator, the operator requesting the transfer of a resource (from the missing operator) to his benefit must justify, in his application file, having previously informed of his intention to request the transfer of the resource to all third-party operators likely to achieve portability with the resource object of the transfer, directly or through the industry management bodies of portability.
7.8.2 Main implications
The instances managing the portability (APNF for fixed numbers, EGP for mobile numbers) do not know how to record the porting when the operator to whom the resource is allocated is not correctly recorded in their bases.
7.9 Establishment and publication of a list of “numbering” contacts among operators
7.9.1 Measure
1.8.2018: Operators requesting numbering resources must send the contact details of an operational contact to ARCEP. The list of contacts thus constituted will be made available by ARCEP to all operators being attributed numbering resources on its extranet portal. These data will be kept by ARCEP only for the duration of attribution of the resources concerned.
7.9.2 Main implications
Up to now the numbering contacts of the other operators consisted of the mailing list of requests for opening of resources. Each operator had his list, usually incomplete. This measure creates a complete reference list of these contacts.