What is the solution to eliminate "junk" SIM cards?

(Baonghean)For many years, the Ministry of Information and Communications has had many solutions to manage prepaid mobile subscribers, but the situation of promotional SIM cards still exists; being used widely, causing spam messages to not be completely prevented.

From fraudulent promotional content, vulgarity, superstition, threats, terrorism to telecommunications theft... most of the subjects use "ownerless" SIM cards to carry out. Besides, according to statistics from the Ministry of Information and Communications, currently two-way locked subscribers, "virtual subscribers" account for a fairly high proportion, causing waste for service providers. Therefore, tightening the management of TBDĐTT information will help network operators recover occupied virtual SIM cards, minimize fraud through "junk" SIM cards and contribute to saving digital resources.



Currently, pre-activated SIM cards are still being sold everywhere on Hong Bang Street (Vinh City) - photo taken on the afternoon of June 12, 2012.

According to the provisions of Circular 04 of the Ministry of Information and Communications regulating the management of prepaid mobile subscribers that has just been issued, telecommunications customers are not allowed to use other people's ID cards or passports to register subscriber information; use their own ID cards or passports to register subscriber information for other people (except for people under 14 years old - without ID cards). Regarding the transfer of the right to use a SIM card (still valid) to another person, the person receiving the transfer of the right to use must re-register the subscriber information no later than 10 days from the time of receiving the transfer of the right to use...

However, through our survey, by the end of June, in many stores in Vinh City, the purchase and sale of pre-activated SIM cards from network operators were still "displayed" as usual without requiring ID cards or passports to declare subscriber information as required. Even when seeing that regulations on SIM cards tended to be tightened, many stores took advantage of the opportunity to increase selling prices to make a profit; SIM cards priced at 45,000 and 65,000 VND were increased to 55,000 and 75,000 VND respectively...

At a store selling mobile phones and accessories on Le Duan Street (Vinh City), when asked if buying a nice number requires registering information, the store owner affirmed: "You have to register, otherwise if there is a dispute later, how can you keep the number?", "So there is an activated sim without registering information?" - There is no shortage, my store has all the sims of the network operators, Vinaphone sim costs 28,000 VND with an account of 95,000 VND; price 45,000 VND with an account of 130,000 VND; Viettel sim costs 45,000 VND, account of 100,000 VND...". Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, owner of a sim and card dealer on Hong Bang Street, also said: "We know about the new regulation of the State that pre-activated sims cannot be sold, and currently the network operator has also cut off multi-function sims but there is still inventory so we are trying to sell them all."

Discussing this issue, Mr. Nguyen Duc Thong, Head of Transaction Team - Vinh Telecommunications Center said: "Circular 04 of the Ministry of Information and Communications, when fully implemented, will completely eliminate junk SIM cards. Surely the number of prepaid mobile subscribers of network operators will decrease, bringing the market back to a real state and helping the management of prepaid mobile phones gradually become more organized. At the same time, tightening the management of prepaid subscribers will help network operators recover virtual SIM cards that are being occupied by agents and businesses that often "hoard" SIM cards and "inflate prices".

However, eliminating "junk" SIM cards is difficult to do overnight. Mr. Nguyen Duc Thong also affirmed that from June 1, 2012, customers or SIM card agents who buy new Vinaphone SIM cards and want to activate them must have full documents and register for activation at certain designated locations; information must be saved in the file and the registration must be done using a computer via the website, not using a multi-function SIM card as before.

For the Circular to be effective, functional sectors and management agencies need to regularly inspect and thoroughly handle the situation of "junk" SIM cards that are often conjured up at retail points, and even some telecommunications businesses, and soon put an end to this "common harm, private benefit" business model.

Ngoc Anh