French mobile subscribers will now be able to port their phone numbers to an alternative network in three working days instead of 10 calendar days as the old regime allowed.

The changes come into effect to and are the result of European directives.

The communication procedure between carriers - whose purpose is to check that the number portability request submitted by a customer is valid - has been reduced to a maximum two working days, while the waiting period for actually porting a number, once the new carrier has received confirmation that the request is valid, has been reduced to one working day.

Better customer information

The new system also demands that voice servers supplying the operator identity statement, or RIO (Relevé d'Identité Opérateur) - which is crucial to requesting retention of a mobile number - be available 24/7, through a new number shared by all carriers.

Subscribers will be given clearer instructions when consulting this voice server. A recorded message will inform them of the exact dates of their contractual commitment, which are needed to calculate any early cancellation fees they might incur, along with the general principles of the one-step procedure whereby customers wanting to switch carriers do not address themselves to their old carrier but rather to their new provider, who will handle the entire process.

A series of text messages (SMS) will then guide the customer through the different stages in the process, from obtaining their operator identity statement right up to the actual porting of the number, by way of confirmation that their request has been received.

Any delays or mishandling of a number portability request could result in compensation for the subscriber, following a request from the customer and verification by the carrier.