The Ministry of Post and Telecommunications (MPT) requests all mobile information service providers to strictly control pre-paid mobile phone subscribers.

In a meeting between MPT and six mobile information service providers yesterday, January 5, many people said that it’s time to implement a mechanism to control pre-paid subscribers, who account for nearly 80% of total subscribers but who are not tied down by any conditions.

MPT is collecting opinions from telecom businesses about management of this kind, and it is possible that subscribers will have to declare personal information like post-paid users.

An MPT official said that tightening control of pre-paid subscribers will help ensure security and save the store of mobile phone numbers because the number of ‘virtual’ subscribers is quite high. Control of this kind has become a common trend in the world.

Mobile phones are increasing in popularity. Apart from their communication function, they are also used to perform other public services such as guiding, payments, and other security issues.

Some countries in the region like Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia have more strictly controlled mobile phone subscribers, and in Vietnam managing mobile subscribers has become an urgent job.

Meanwhile, pre-paid subscribers operate unstably and do not bring about high income for service providers. Moreover, since they cannot control pre-paid subscribers, providers face many difficulties in classifying customers. In addition, problems related to spam messages and harassment often come from pre-paid subscribers and it is difficult to find out the owner.

However, some service providers worry that they will be affected if strict management measures are implemented without a specific roadmap. Many telecom experts say that it is quite difficult to manage pre-paid mobile phone subscribers, quoting China as an example.  

(Source: VNE)