Is it illegal to buy and sell sim number 0909999999 for 23 billion VND?

Accordingly, the sale of public assets is carried out by auction, except for the sale of public assets of small value by publicly listed prices or designated sale according to Government regulations.

The mobile phone number 0909999999 was purchased by Mr. Thai Minh Phuong from Mr. Manh Tai. According to the announcement, the transaction took place at 3:00 p.m. on August 6 with a transaction value of 1 million USD (about more than 23 billion VND).

However, the Telecommunications Law clearly states that the telecommunications numbering system is a national resource and is allocated to telecommunications enterprises according to the planning. Therefore, network operators are responsible for using, leasing, and re-issuing telecommunications numbering systems for the right purposes, scope, and subjects according to the allocation decision and regulations on telecommunications numbering management. Only with the consent of the competent authority can the transfer of the right to use telecommunications numbering systems take place.

"The transfer of the right to use the telecommunications numbering system, allocated by the Ministry of Information and Communications to organizations and individuals through auction, must be approved by the Ministry of Information and Communications" - Article 49 of the Law on Telecommunications.

In addition, the telecommunications numbering system is also included in the list of public assets in the Law on Management and Use of State Assets. Accordingly, the sale of public assets is carried out in the form of auction, except for the sale of public assets of small value in the form of public price listing or designated sale according to Government regulations.

Meanwhile, the phone number 0909999999 was transferred between two individuals (Mr. Thai Minh Phuong and Mr. Manh Tai). Responding to the press, Mr. Manh Tai said that he decided to transfer to Mr. Thai Minh Phuong after 3 days of negotiation. The transfer was done at the MobiFone store in District 1 (HCMC).

According to a SIM card shop owner in Hai Ba Trung (Hanoi), transactions of buying and selling beautiful SIM numbers with large values ​​are always taking place. "Huge phone numbers" such as 0909999999 are of interest to many people, so the price will be higher. "Buy and sell at will. When the name is successfully transferred to the network operator and the buyer transfers the full amount to the seller, the transaction is considered complete. Not many people pay attention to legal issues" - the SIM card dealer owner said.

Before the Law on Management and Use of State Assets (amended) was passed on June 21, 2017, many debates took place around the issue of including telecommunications numbering and other numbering (such as car and motorbike license plates) into the provisions of the Law.

Many National Assembly deputies believe that the telecommunications number warehouse must be included in the law because people have a need to own beautiful phone numbers and the State can collect a larger amount of money by organizing auctions. However, currently, beautiful numbers put on the market by network operators are not sold, but only SIM cards with numbers are sold with binding service conditions attached. In addition, beautiful numbers sold at "auction" do not collect money for the network operators but are all for social charity purposes.

In reality, SIM card dealers have been buying and selling beautiful SIM numbers for many years. It is a normal need and no buyer or seller reads the regulations to see if the purchase and sale is legal or not. However, as a leader of a major network operator said: "If there is a clear legal framework for the number warehouse of telecommunications networks, it will be better for the market even though everything is still going on normally at present".