Nationwide inspection of SIM cards not registered in the owner's name.

Individuals registering multiple SIM cards and transaction points for the nationwide distribution of activated SIM cards will be subject to inspection, in order to prevent the proliferation of "junk" SIM cards.

At a meeting on the morning of May 19th, the Ministry of Information and Communications announced that 82 teams with 445 officials are conducting simultaneous inspections of unregistered SIM cards nationwide, including 8 teams from the Ministry and 74 teams from the Departments of Information and Communications.

The focus of this inspection is on organizations and individuals registering multiple SIM cards, telecommunications service providers illegally using the information of organizations or individuals, or using their own information to register and activate multiple SIM cards in advance before selling them on the market. In addition, the inspection team will also examine the performance of eight telecommunications companies in managing subscriber information and will take action if violations are found.

A SIM card shop in Hanoi . Photo: Luu Quy

Currently, the mobile SIM card market in Vietnam is plagued by issues such as: illegally using other people's information to register and activate SIM cards in bulk; activating multiple SIM cards and selling them; and purchasing SIM cards already registered with other people's information without changing the information upon transfer of ownership as required. In addition, there is the problem of forging or altering personal documents to register subscriber information, and registering and activating a large number of SIM cards without being able to prove the purpose of use. These are the main causes of the recent problem of "junk SIMs."

Deputy Minister Pham Duc Long requested that inspection teams "focus on clarifying existing shortcomings and violations in subscriber information management arising during the registration process and resolving them completely."

The Ministry also requires local Departments of Information and Communications to have a clear list of SIM card import agents and service providers in their areas, especially those importing large quantities of SIM cards, and to know the times when large numbers of SIM cards are activated and released onto the market. This will enable regulatory agencies to take timely measures to prevent the sale of SIM cards that have already been registered and activated.

At the meeting, Chief Inspector of the Ministry of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Chung urged users to proactively go to service points to register their own subscriber information, and not to buy SIM cards that already have the information of other organizations or individuals to avoid legal risks when using SIM cards that are not registered in their name.

As of the end of 2022, Vietnam had approximately 127 million active subscribers, including unregistered SIM cards, which are often used for activities such as making advertising calls and sending promotional messages or scams.

According to the Ministry of Information and Communications, there are three major stages in addressing the problem of unregistered SIM cards: ensuring all subscribers have verified information, ensuring the accuracy of this information by cross-checking with the National Population Database, and finally, dealing with SIM cards registered under the wrong name. On May 15th, network operators terminated contracts and reclaimed numbers from 985,000 subscribers whose information had not been standardized, completing the second stage and moving into the final stage.

According to Luu Quy/VNE

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