The time of junk SIM cards is over, the dealer is closed.

The drastic measures taken by the Ministry of Information and Communications, along with the network operators, to tighten the ban on junk SIM cards have caused this market to stagnate. Many areas that specialize in selling cheap SIM cards are deserted, and some stores have even closed.

Survey by VietNamNet reporters on streets with many shops selling junk SIM cards that mainly serve students and workers such as Trieu Khuc, Phung Khoang, Giai Phong, Ta Quang Buu, the SIM card dealer shops are deserted. New SIM cards cost from 60,000 to 300,000 VND, the account balance is 0 VND. Bad phone numbers or 11 numbers are cheaper than 10 numbers.

Mr. Hoang Long, owner of a sim card store on Trieu Khuc Street (Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi) shared that all the activated promotional sim cards are now locked and no longer in use. The current sim account is 0 VND, every time you buy a sim card, you must have your own ID card and if you already have enough phone numbers from a network operator, you cannot register more. Customers must go to the customer care center to request to delete the old number.

Many areas specializing in selling cheap SIM cards are deserted, some stores are even closed.

According to Mr. Long, because there are no longer promotions for large amounts of money in the account, the business situation is also sluggish. Previously, buying a SIM card would give a lot of money in the account, some network providers even gave 100% promotion for the first three card top-ups. But now, all promotions have stopped.

Currently, Mr. Long’s store is still open for business, mainly selling phone top-up cards, game cards and clearing out the remaining SIM cards. Although the numbers have not been revoked, they are still not sold to customers.

"If business is difficult, I will have to consider changing to another job. The time of selling super-profitable junk SIM cards is over," said Mr. Long.

Similarly, at the sim card store on Truong Dinh Street, the store owner said that many customers came to buy junk sim cards but when they were informed that there was no money in their accounts, they left. This dealer is mainly selling unactivated beautiful sim numbers that are still valid with the network. With prices ranging from 300,000 VND to more than 5 million VND/sim card, but the accounts are all 0 VND.

Meanwhile, a SIM card store on Nguyen Trai Street has closed. According to many small SIM card dealers, there are no more activated SIM cards to sell, and without customers buying SIM cards, they will be forced to close due to high rental costs.

A representative of a network operator said that currently, SIM card dealers have stopped importing new SIM cards. The reason why the dealers have stopped importing new SIM cards is because the Ministry of Information and Communications has been determined in managing prepaid mobile SIM cards and resolutely recalling SIM cards that have been activated in violation of regulations and sold on the market.

Speaking to the press on November 22, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Phan Tam said the Ministry will officially request network operators to stop providing services to about 12 million subscribers who show signs of being pre-activated, declaring fake information and not generating the required minimum fees.

The Ministry of Information and Communications requires Departments of Information and Communications nationwide to simultaneously inspect subscriber activation, illegal promotions, and recall activated prepaid SIM cards.

At the end of October, major network operators including Vinaphone, MobiFone, Viettel... signed a commitment with the Ministry of Information and Communications to recall pre-activated SIM cards from November 1. By the end of November 20, network operators must block incorrectly activated SIM cards.

In early November 2016, the Ministry also decided to fine five telecommunications companies, GTel, Vietnamobile, MobiFone, Viettel and VinaPhone, more than VND1 billion for many violations in the operation of promotional programs.

According to Vietnamnet