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Bulk SMS in France: CNIL Consent, Sender ID and Accents

Bulk SMS France guide (SMS en masse): CNIL consent rules, STOP and 33700, alphanumeric sender ID, Orange, SFR, Bouygues and Free routes, accents and GSM-7.

Updated 9 min read

By OmniChannels.ai Editorial Team · Reviewed by BroadNet Messaging Solutions Team

SMS & OTP

Short answer

To send bulk SMS in France, use a provider with routes to Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free Mobile, collect prior consent before any commercial SMS as the CNIL requires, and let recipients stop messages simply and free of charge. An alphanumeric sender ID of up to 11 characters is supported. Accents such as é and è fit GSM-7, but ê, ô, î, œ and guillemets push a message to Unicode.

On this page
  1. What rules apply to bulk SMS in France?
  2. Do you need consent to send commercial SMS in France?
  3. How do opt-out, STOP and 33700 work?
  4. How do sender names work in France?
  5. Which operators carry SMS in France?
  6. How should you separate OTP and promotional traffic?
  7. Do French accents work in GSM-7?
  8. When should you send?
  9. A worked example: a Lyon bakery chain
  10. What is a launch checklist for France?
  11. What are the common mistakes?
  12. How OmniChannels.ai helps

Key takeaways

  • The CNIL states that commercial SMS may be sent only if the recipient has agreed beforehand, with a narrow exception for similar products or services sold to existing customers; every message must identify the sender and let people refuse further messages.
  • Telecom regulation sits with ARCEP and consent enforcement with the CNIL; our regulation data names double opt-in as the operator-preferred standard for marketing.
  • Recipients can forward unwanted marketing SMS to 33700, the reporting platform operated by the public authorities and the telecom sector, so poor consent practice is visible to operators.
  • Four mobile networks appear in our coverage data, all with direct routes: Orange France (208-01), SFR (208-10), Bouygues Telecom (208-20) and Free Mobile (208-15).
  • Common French letters é, è, ù, à and capital Ç are in GSM-7, but ê, â, î, ô, û, ë, ï, œ, lowercase ç, capital À, guillemets and the curly apostrophe are not, so check copy before relying on 160 characters.

This guide is for marketing, e-commerce, banking and operations teams that want to send business SMS to French mobile numbers: OTPs, delivery alerts, reminders and promotions. It explains who regulates what, how consent and opt-out work, how sender names behave, which operators carry traffic and how French accents affect message length. It is a practical overview, not legal advice. Confirm your set-up with French counsel before launch.

What rules apply to bulk SMS in France?

Three layers apply: electronic communications rules supervised by ARCEP, consent and data protection enforced by the CNIL under the GDPR and French law, and operator policy. The CNIL is the body whose guidance matters most for marketing content.

Layer What it covers Where to check
CNIL (GDPR and French law) Prior consent, exceptions, opt-out, sanctions for spam SMS cnil.fr
ARCEP Telecom regulation, numbering arcep.fr
Operators (Orange, SFR, Bouygues, Free) Routes, sender names, filtering Onboarding with your provider

Our regulation data lists ARCEP as the regulator and the CNIL as a source for consent rules.

Yes, in principle. The CNIL says consent must be free, specific, informed and unambiguous and given through a positive act: pre-ticked boxes are not allowed and accepting general terms is not enough. The person can withdraw consent at any time.

The CNIL describes two exceptions:

  • Existing customers: you may promote similar products or services of your own company, but only if a sale or service has actually taken place. Creating an online account alone does not qualify.
  • Non-commercial prospecting, for example by a charity, may rely on legitimate interest, provided people are informed when the number is collected and can object simply and free of charge, including with each message.

Outside these cases, buy no lists and assume that consent is required. Our opt-in consent generator drafts wording, and opt-in consent across channels shows how to record it. See opt-in.

How do opt-out, STOP and 33700 work?

Every promotional SMS must identify the sender and give a simple way to refuse future messages. The CNIL notes that some operators let subscribers reply STOP to the sender, naming SFR and Bouygues, while Orange provides a dedicated address for reporting such messages. Our data says the STOP keyword is honoured network-wide and is a one-step opt-out that holds until the person consents again.

What to do in practice:

  1. Name your brand in the message or the sender ID.
  2. Add a clear opt-out line, for example "STOP au 36XXX" on a number that supports replies, or a short opt-out link.
  3. Test the opt-out on each operator before launch.
  4. Process opt-outs at once and keep one suppression list across campaigns and channels.

33700 is the free platform where recipients report unwanted SMS, either by forwarding the message or by using a form or screenshot; the CNIL says it was created in 2008 by public authorities and telecom bodies. A complaint reaching it is a signal to operators, which is a good reason to keep consent evidence for every number. See opt-out.

How do sender names work in France?

Business SMS to France can use an alphanumeric sender ID of up to 11 characters, and a numeric long code is also supported, according to our data. Requirements are set by the operators (Orange France and SFR are named in our data), and BroadNet confirms the current rules during onboarding. Our published lead time is 5 to 10 business days for alphanumeric IDs. Treat it as typical, not guaranteed.

Choice Strength Limitation
Alphanumeric (up to 11 characters) Shows your brand Recipients cannot reply with STOP
Numeric or short number Supports replies and STOP Less brand recognition

Draft the authorisation letter with the sender ID letter generator, check the position with the sender ID checker or the France sender ID page, and see sender ID types explained. If you want us to prepare and file the registration with you, see registrations; decisions stay with the operators.

Which operators carry SMS in France?

Four mobile networks appear in our coverage data, each with a direct route:

Operator MCC-MNC
Orange France 208-01
SFR 208-10
Bouygues Telecom 208-20
Free Mobile 208-15

Read delivery reports per operator, since a blended rate can hide one weak network. Our guide to improving SMS delivery rates explains how to diagnose gaps.

How should you separate OTP and promotional traffic?

Keep OTPs, order updates and appointment reminders on their own sender and route, with no promotion inside. A mixed message becomes commercial prospecting and brings the consent rules, and it puts login codes at risk if marketing traffic is filtered.

Traffic Example Practice
Transactional OTP, delivery alert, appointment reminder No offers inside; own sender; any hour
Promotional Sale, loyalty offer Consented numbers; opt-out line; daytime schedule
Mixed "Colis expédié. Profitez de -10 %" Avoid; the offer makes it promotional

See the OTP authentication messages guide and our OTP service page.

Do French accents work in GSM-7?

Partly. The GSM 7-bit default alphabet (3GPP TS 23.038) includes é, è, ù, à, ì, ò and capital Ç, so many French sentences fit 160 characters (153 per part when split). It does not include â, ê, î, ô, û, ë, ï, œ, lowercase ç or capital À, and it does not include guillemets (« ») or the curly apostrophe. One such character switches the entire message to Unicode with 70 characters (67 per part). See GSM-7 and concatenated SMS.

Encoding Single message Per part when concatenated
GSM 7-bit 160 characters 153
Unicode (UCS-2) 70 characters 67

These examples were counted against the limits:

Message Encoding Characters Parts
Votre code est 482913. Valable 10 minutes. Ne le partagez avec personne. Boulangerie Dupré GSM-7 90 1
Boulangerie Dupré: 2 croissants achetés, le 3e offert samedi! Détails: dupre.example/s. STOP au 36000 GSM-7 101 1
Boulangerie Dupré: votre commande 1042 sera disponible demain avant 17h. Merci! GSM-7 79 1
Boulangerie Dupré: la baguette à 1 € ce samedi! Détails: dupre.example/s. STOP au 36000 GSM-7 88 1
Boulangerie Dupré: votre pâtisserie est prête! Passez avant 17h. À bientôt! Unicode 75 2
Boulangerie Dupré: « 2 croissants, le 3e offert » samedi! Détails: dupre.example/s. STOP au 36000 Unicode 97 2

Row 4 shows the euro sign costing two characters. Row 5 is Unicode because of the circumflex in "prête" and the capital À, and row 6 because of the guillemets. Check final copy in the SMS character counter. For other scripts see SMS character limits and Unicode.

When should you send?

We found no regulator-published time-of-day window for promotional SMS in France, and our regulation data records none. We have not repeated any industry code of conduct we could not verify. Agree hours with your provider, send promotions in local daytime (Central European Time, UTC+1, or UTC+2 in summer) and avoid evenings. OTPs and alerts can go at any hour. The send time planner helps with scheduling, and SMS marketing rules by country compares markets.

A worked example: a Lyon bakery chain

"Boulangerie Dupré" (synthetic) has 25 shops and wants pickup alerts, OTPs for its app and a weekly offer.

  • It collects consent in the app and at the till with a positive action and stores wording, timestamp and number.
  • Pickup alerts and OTPs use plain GSM-7 text and a sender ID of its own.
  • The weekly offer goes only to opted-in numbers, names the brand, carries an opt-out line tested on all four operators and avoids circumflex letters where a simple rewrite works.
  • Opt-outs from replies and links feed one suppression list shared with email and WhatsApp.
  • It removes any number that complains or objects, and reviews operator feedback after each send.

What is a launch checklist for France?

A short checklist keeps the first campaign clean. Work through it in order and keep the evidence for each step.

  1. Classify traffic into transactional (OTP, alerts) and promotional, with a sender ID for each.
  2. Confirm consent for every promotional number: wording, date, time and channel stored.
  3. Prepare the sender ID and allow the typical 5 to 10 business days from our data.
  4. Write copy in GSM-7 where you can, and count it before approval.
  5. Test on all four networks: Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free Mobile, including the opt-out.
  6. Schedule for local daytime and stagger large sends so you can watch delivery reports.
  7. Review results by operator and remove complaining numbers from every list.

What are the common mistakes?

  • Treating an account sign-up as consent. The CNIL says it does not qualify for the customer exception without a sale.
  • Pre-ticked boxes or consent buried in general terms.
  • An opt-out that does not work on one of the four networks.
  • Guillemets, curly apostrophes and circumflex letters that double the part count.
  • Offers inside OTPs or delivery alerts.
  • Sending without per-operator reports.

How OmniChannels.ai helps

OmniChannels.ai is powered by BroadNet, which has direct routes to Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free Mobile in our coverage data. We support consent-aware campaigns with suppression handling, French and Unicode content, per-operator delivery reports and SMPP 3.4 for high volume, and we prepare and file sender registration with you. For indicative list prices see the France SMS pricing page, then book a demo. Next door? See the Spain guide and the Germany guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is SMS marketing legal in France?

Yes, with prior consent. The CNIL says commercial SMS may be sent only to people who have agreed beforehand, with an exception for similar products or services bought by existing customers, who must be able to opt out free of charge. Rules also come from the GDPR and French telecom and consumer law, so have counsel review your flow.

Do I need to write STOP SMS in every message?

The law requires a simple, valid way to refuse further messages, and the CNIL says some operators let subscribers answer STOP to the sender. We did not find a rule that mandates one exact phrase, so use a clear line such as 'STOP au 36XXX' only on a number that supports it, or an opt-out link, and test it on every operator.

What is 33700?

33700 is the free French platform where people report unwanted SMS and voice spam by forwarding the message. It was created in 2008 by public authorities and telecom bodies, according to the CNIL. Complaints reach operators, so consent records and sender names that match your brand protect your routes.

Do I need to register an alphanumeric sender ID in France?

Our regulation data says requirements are set by the operators, with a typical lead time of 5 to 10 business days for alphanumeric IDs of up to 11 characters, and that BroadNet confirms the current requirements during onboarding. Treat the lead time as typical, not guaranteed, and test on all four networks before launch.

Do French accents need Unicode?

Only some. The letters é, è, ù, à and capital Ç are in the GSM 7-bit alphabet, so many French sentences fit 160 characters. Circumflex and diaeresis letters, lowercase ç, œ, guillemets and the curly apostrophe are not, and one such character moves the whole message to Unicode with 70 characters.

Is there a legal sending time window for promotional SMS in France?

We found no regulator-published time-of-day window for promotional SMS in France, and our regulation data records none. We did not rely on industry codes of conduct we could not verify. Send promotions in local daytime, avoid evenings and Sundays out of courtesy, and keep OTPs and alerts on a transactional route.

Sources

  1. La prospection commerciale par SMS-MMS, CNIL
  2. SMS à caractère commercial : ayez les bons réflexes, CNIL
  3. ARCEP
  4. General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679, EUR-Lex
  5. 3GPP TS 23.038: Alphabets and language-specific information

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