"Junk" SIM cards are still being sold.

SGGP 14/09/2023 10:28

To curb the proliferation of "junk" SIM cards, the Ministry of Information and Communications has issued regulations tightening the sale of mobile SIM cards at authorized dealers of network operators nationwide, effective from September 10th.

Observations at SIM card shops in Ho Chi Minh City on the afternoon of September 13th showed that while the SIM card business was no longer as bustling as before, it was still not difficult to buy a SIM card.

At a phone accessory store on Hoang Hoa Tham Street (Tan Binh District), the owner said that the store still has a few pre-activated SIM cards that can be used immediately after purchase. For Viettel network users, customers can go to Viettel stores or transaction points to buy them.

"Going forward, we will no longer sell cheap SIM cards because the profit margin is low, and we have to register the SIM cards in the customer's name, which is very time-consuming," said a Viettel store owner.

Regarding the regulation to stop selling SIM cards at dealerships, several shop owners said that there has been no announcement from the network providers, so buying and selling continues as usual. “The shop is still trying to sell off all the pre-activated SIM cards to recover capital. As for premium numbers and lucky numbers from Mobifone , Vinaphone, and Vietnamobile, the shop will continue selling them until there is an official announcement,” shared a shop owner on Ba Thang Hai Street (District 10).

In reality, it's not just easy to buy fake SIM cards at stores; they're also openly sold on e-commerce platforms like Tiki, Lazada, and Shopee. One shop on Lazada advertised a pre-activated Vietnamobile SIM card for only 26,000 VND, with a "huge" package including 5GB of data per day and free calls for the first 20 days. Another shop offered a Mobifone SIM card for only 90,000 VND with various packages including 4GB of data per day and free calls.

Statistics show that, of the 1.5 million SIM cards recently sold on the market, 80% were issued through authorized dealers of mobile network operators, 10% were sold directly by network operators through retail stores, and 10% through chain channels including large mobile phone retail systems.

Among these channels, the agency network is considered the source generating the most unregistered SIM cards. Therefore, strengthening management, inspection, and even imposing heavy penalties to ensure compliance with the regulations of the Ministry of Information and Communications is an urgent necessity, contributing to rectifying and eliminating the problem of "junk" SIM cards that have been harassing users in recent times.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/sim-rac-van-duoc-bay-ban-post705534.html