Mexico's prepaid phone registration deadline may suspend lines

The Mexican federal government has mandated that all prepaid mobile phone lines be linked to the user's CURP (population registry) under a staggered schedule based on the last digit of the phone number. Lines ending in 0 must be registered by 15 August, with subsequent digit groups given 15‑day windows, the final deadline being 31 December. Only prepaid lines are subject to this requirement; post‑paid customers are exempt because their data were already collected at contract signing.

If a prepaid line is not registered by its deadline, carriers are authorized to suspend or cancel the service. This can disrupt access to applications that rely on the phone number, such as WhatsApp, mobile banking, and other digital platforms. Enrique Ortega, vice‑president of the Education and Culture Commission of the Mexican Internet Association, said the measure is intended to help combat phone‑based extortion, but warned that registration alone will not solve the problem and that criminal prosecution and citizen reporting remain essential. He also cautioned about an illegal market for registered SIM chips that could misuse a person's CURP.