[REVISION HISTORY]

Mexico and Chile mobile registration regulations

Updated 4 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-17 03:28 UTC → 2026-08-17 09:14 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Mexico and Chile have implemented mandatory mobile line registration to combat crimes such as extortion and fraud by reducing anonymity. In Mexico, the Comisión Reguladora de Telecomunicaciones (CRT) requires prepaid users to link phone numbers to their CURP or RFC. This regulatory depuration contributed to a reduction of 4.9 million active mobile lines in Mexico between December 2025 and June 2026. In Chile, regulations effective August 2025 mandate that prepaid customers provide full names and identification details, with companies utilizing biometric tools to ensure compliance. Following these implementations, the CRT began the gradual suspension of mobile phone lines ending in the digit ‘0’ on August 15, 2026, which had not been linked to a CURP. While the CRT reports that approximately 71 million users have already completed the registration process, millions of prepaid lines remain unregistered. Service providers have a 72-hour window following the deadline to initiate temporary suspensions. During these periods, users are restricted to emergency calls to 911, contacting their provider, or receiving earthquake alerts. Service can be restored almost immediately once registration is completed via a provider’s website, app, or physical center. The CRT noted that the registration process does not consume data or credit, even for suspended ~~lines.~~ lines, and clarified that no biometric data is collected during the procedure. The suspension follows a staggered schedule: numbers ending in ‘1’ face a deadline of August 31, ‘2’ on September 15, and the process continues through December 31 for numbers ending in ‘9’. The policy continues to face political criticism. Francisco Sánchez Villegas of the Movimiento Ciudadano party has characterized the measure as a “massive digital execution” and a “spy law,” accusing the administration of using security as a guise to collect personal data.

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