Monaco advances mobile number sovereignty from French system
By Zak Jackson, MonacoViews Editorial
The Monaco government has detailed a new phase in freeing mobile phone numbering from its historic ties to the French system.
Mobile telephony arrived in Monaco in 1993, but from the start it depended on the French numbering plan, with local mobile lines assigned ten-digit numbers beginning with 06 just as in France.
A turning point came in 1996 when the Principality secured its own international dialling code, +377, a step that gave Monaco a distinct identity on the world's telecoms network even as everyday mobile numbers remained tied to the French format.
The government has now confirmed a further move toward a fully Monegasque mobile numbering system, continuing the process begun three decades ago to bring the Principality's telecoms infrastructure into line with its status as a sovereign state.