13 million mobile subscribers are at risk of being revoked

According to the Department of Telecommunications – Ministry of Science and Technology, after more than two months of implementing Circular 08, telecommunications businesses have transferred data of more than 114 million subscribers to the national population database. Of these, more than 96 million were “successfully confirmed and authenticated”, showing that the subscriber is the genuine owner.

Circular 08 takes effect from April 15, requiring users to confirm SIM usage status through the VNeID application. From June 15, unfinished subscriptions will be one-way locked. The network’s report noted that more than 3.8 million subscribers subsequently standardized their information.

The remaining nearly 13 million numbers are still having one-way service suspended and if not authenticated before August 15, they will be locked two-way. After 5 days, August 20, the phone number will be revoked if the subscriber still does not standardize.

A network operator representative said that if one way is locked, users can restore service in two ways. The first way is to log in to the network operator’s application, combined with VNeID to authenticate information. They can also go to the transaction point and bring their chip-embedded citizen identification card for support.

The ongoing review is the next step in cleaning up the mobile subscription database. Previously, during the 2023 standardization round, about 6 million subscribers had their numbers revoked and services stopped.

According to the Department of Telecommunications, the new regulations ensure that after registration, subscribers are still used by the person in whose name they are registered. Mobile SIM “is one of the tools used to spread spam calls and spam messages”, so checking the owner’s SIM will help limit this situation.

The Department recommends that all subscribers, especially disadvantaged groups, need to proactively access the VNeID application and monitor notifications from telecommunications businesses to check and confirm the subscription number in their name. According to this agency, proactive verification and management not only helps “mitigate risks and protect users’ own rights”, but also contributes to building a safe, transparent telecommunications environment, promoting digital transformation.

In addition to Circular 08, Decree 174, effective from July 1, stipulates that telecommunications subscribers who use documents with inaccurate information or other people’s identification documents or legal entity certification documents of other organizations to enter into contracts according to the form will be fined 200,000-500,000 VND for each subscriber number, if violating from 1 to 10 numbers. The fine increases to 5-10 million VND if violating from 11 to 200 subscribers; 10-20 million VND with 201-500 subscribers and 30-50 million VND if 501 subscribers or more.

The Decree also penalizes the act of not updating or changing identification documents; Do not update when detecting incorrect subscription information or after receiving notification from the network operator. Subscribers who do not request the network to reissue or terminate the contract when they lose or no longer use the SIM will also be fined depending on the number of subscribers.