Unverified mobile numbers to be locked from April 1

The phone number verification process is one of many steps mapped out by a government project on national database development and digitization. Among many goals, the project targets to consolidate social stability and prevent the inappropriate use of SIM cards.

As of March 30, over 1.99 million mobile subscribers had been verified in line with the official national database. Meanwhile, around 1.8 million others have yet been verified. Such phone numbers have already begun receiving notifications of the plan.

Telecom providers are warning unverified mobile phone number users with at least one text message a day for at least five days. The messages request that users update their personal data.

If the registered personal information is not updated and verified after 15 days, the numbers will not be able to make outgoing calls or text messages.

If the data is still not updated another 15 days after that, the numbers will not be able to receive calls or messages. If the data is then not yet updated another 30 days after that, the numbers' contracts will be terminated.

The final date for telecom providers to notify misregistered users will be Wednesday, March 15.

Then the one-way locking of still unverified phone numbers will begin after March 31.

Viet Nam currently has 127 million mobile phone numbers in use, 96 percent of which belong to either Vinaphone, Viettel or MobiFone. /.