Mexico's CRT to suspend 2.5 million mobile lines over registration issues

The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (CRT) has announced that approximately 2.5 million mobile lines ending in the number 3 will be suspended due to a lack of registration. As of October 4, 9,851,807 lines in this block—representing 87.3% of the estimated 11.2 million lines—have successfully completed the linking process.

While many lines were suspended after the September 30 deadline, over 1.2 million users have already reactivated their service by completing registration with their providers. The CRT expects an additional 1.4 million lines in this block to be reactivated shortly.

The broader National Registry of Mobile Telephony aims to purge an estimated 25 million inactive lines nationwide. This cleanup includes promotional SIM cards that were never activated, gift chips, and single-use cards acquired by temporary visitors. The measure is intended to optimize network administration and prevent the hoarding of inactive records by operators such as Telcel, AT&T, and Movistar.

Users with currently suspended lines ending in 3 will not lose their numbers; service can be restored once registration is complete. During suspension, these lines may still be used to contact emergency services.