Viettel introduces new regulations regarding the validity period of prepaid SIM cards.

Currently, there's a paradox: telecommunications companies are constantly running out of phone numbers, while millions of prepaid SIM cards sold years ago remain unsold at dealerships and sales points, never having reached customers.

This wastes digital resources and creates many inconveniences for customers, as those who need a phone number cannot own the number they want. By regulating the validity period of unactivated prepaid SIM cards, the efficiency of number resource utilization will be improved, providing users with more choices to suit their needs. This will also help reduce speculation and hoarding of numbers.

Furthermore, to curb the proliferation of junk SIMs and fake subscribers, and to ensure sustainable development of the telecommunications market, the Ministry of Information and Communications issued Circular No. 14/2012/TT-BTTTT dated December 12, 2012, regulating the pricing of terrestrial mobile telecommunications services. Accordingly, prepaid SIMs issued from 2013 onwards are required to have a zero balance to limit the use of SIMs as replacements for prepaid cards. However, Circular 14 has not significantly impacted prepaid SIMs issued before 2013 with balances exceeding zero that are currently in circulation. Therefore, regulating the validity period of prepaid SIMs will help bring Circular 14 closer to reality, thereby reducing the number of junk SIMs and fake subscribers.

In response to this situation, from February 11, 2014, Viettel Telecommunications Corporation implemented a regulation on the usage period for unactivated prepaid SIM cards.

Accordingly, prepaid SIM cards that Viettel connected and provided to customers from 2014 onwards but have not yet been activated will have an expiration date of December 31st of the year following the year of issuance (for example, a SIM card connected in March 2014 will have an expiration date of December 31st, 2015).

- SIM cards activated before 2010 are valid until June 30, 2014.

- SIM cards activated and sold in 2011 and 2012 have an expiration date of December 31, 2014.

- SIM cards activated between 2011 and 2013 and sold in 2013 have an expiration date of December 31, 2015.

But

After the specified period, unactivated prepaid SIM cards will be returned to the warehouse for reuse and distribution to customers. If, by the deadline, the point of sale or agent has not sold the SIM cards, Viettel will repurchase the unactivated prepaid SIM cards at the current price minus any discount. The period for receiving returned unactivated SIM cards is from May 1st, 2014 to May 31st, 2014.

According to Hanoi Moi