Things to know to avoid having your SIM locked or number revoked

In what cases will mobile subscribers have their SIMs locked or their numbers revoked?

From March 31, 2023, people must standardize mobile subscriber information to match the national population database.

Mobile subscribers whose information does not match will have their accounts locked and their numbers revoked. This move is aimed at thoroughly resolving the situation of using junk SIMs or SIMs with incorrect information declared according to regulations.

Since then, many mobile subscribers have assumed that their phone numbers will always be associated with them and will not be revoked by the network operator. However, in reality, this is a misunderstanding and can cause many people to have their SIMs locked and their phone numbers lost.

Mobile subscribers can have their SIMs locked and their mobile numbers revoked in various cases (Illustration: Getty).

Decree 49/2017/ND-CP issued by the Government in April 2017 stipulates cases in which network operators are allowed to lock SIM cards of mobile subscribers.

The first is when the subscriber information is incorrect or does not match the identity documents. This happens when there is a difference between the mobile subscriber registration information and the National Population Database.

Second, in case the mobile SIM is used to commit illegal acts such as fraud, spam, harassment, etc. and the authorities send a request to lock the SIM, the network operator will have to comply.

In addition to locking the SIM, the network operator will have the right to revoke the mobile subscriber number if the user does not use the SIM for a long time, does not top up or incur fees, does not make or receive calls...

The recovered subscriber numbers will be sold and allocated to new subscribers. Recovering mobile subscriber numbers for reuse will help optimize the use of digital resources.

How do major network operators in Vietnam recover subscriber numbers?

Viettel network

Viettel prepaid mobile subscribers will be locked one way (outgoing calls) if they do not top up by the expiration date or within 60 days there are no transactions such as topping up; making outgoing calls, sending charged messages; or using charged mobile Internet. In addition, if prepaid subscribers enter the wrong scratch card code 5 times, they will also be locked one way.

Meanwhile, if postpaid mobile subscribers do not pay their fees on time, their service will be one-way blocked and they will lose their mobile network connection function.

The SIM will be locked or disabled if the user does not incur fees or does not pay when due... (Photo: Instagram).

10 days after being locked in one direction but the user does not pay the fee or top up, the subscription will be locked in two directions (both incoming and outgoing calls), blocking Internet connection and texting.

After locking both directions, Viettel users will have 30 days to keep their mobile phone number. After 30 days but still not paying the fee, the network will lock the SIM and reclaim the mobile phone number, returning it to the number warehouse to be allocated to another subscriber.

VinaPhone network

For prepaid subscribers of VinaPhone network, if the SIM has expired and the user does not top up, it will be locked in one direction, unable to make calls or send messages. Within 10 days after being locked in one direction but the subscriber still does not top up, the SIM will be locked in two directions.

Within 45 days (30 days to keep the number and 15 days to wait for recovery) from the time of 2-way blocking, if the user still does not go to a VinaPhone transaction point to recover the number, the subscriber's SIM will be canceled and the subscriber number will be revoked.

In addition, within 3 months if the prepaid subscriber does not incur any fees or make any incoming or outgoing calls, the mobile phone number will also be revoked.

Meanwhile, postpaid subscribers will be locked one way if they do not pay the fee within 7 days after receiving the fee notice from the network operator. Within 15 days after locking one way but still not paying the fee, the SIM will be locked two ways.

Within 45 days after 2-way blocking (30 days to keep the number and 15 days to wait for recovery), if the customer does not come to the transaction point to restore the number, the SIM will be canceled and the phone number will be recovered and returned to the number warehouse to be sold to others.

MobiFone network

MobiFone prepaid subscribers will be locked one way if the user does not top up within 10 days after the expiration of the usage period. Within 10 days after the one-way lock, if the user still does not top up, the subscription will be switched to 2-way lock.

Within 30 days, if the subscriber has been locked in both directions but the user still does not add money to the mobile account, the SIM will be locked and the phone number will be withdrawn to the number warehouse. Before this deadline, the user must go to the network operator's transaction office to request to unlock the two-way lock and add money to the account.

Similarly, MobiFone postpaid subscribers will also be locked one-way if they do not pay the fee within 10 days after receiving the notice. Within 10 days after the one-way lock, if the subscriber still does not pay the fee, the two-way lock will be locked and the subscriber will have 30 days to pay the fee, otherwise the subscriber number will be revoked by the network.

Can a revoked mobile phone number be bought back?

In case your subscriber number has been revoked by the network operator, but the user still wants to continue using this subscriber number because he has been with it for a long time or this is a phone number used for business, the user can still buy back the revoked subscriber number in case this number has not been sold by the network operator to another user.

Users can buy back the revoked subscription number in case this number has not been allocated to a new subscriber (Photo: FB).

To check whether the revoked phone number has been assigned to another user, you can go to the network operator's transaction office to check. In case the phone number still does not have a new owner, the user can register to buy back this phone number and continue using it.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-manh-so/nhung-dieu-can-biet-de-thue-bao-di-dong-khong-bi-khoa-sim-thu-hoi-so-20241210151159363.htm