Cell phone service providers have recently blocked calls from nearly 1.8 million customers whose personal information does not match the national population database as of April 1. As a result, Hanoi's cell phone users have hurried to update their personal information.

On April 1, considerably more customers than usual visited the Viettel, VinaPhone, and MobiFone branches, the three major mobile operators, for the services.

MobiFone staff guides customers to standardize information. Photo: The Hanoi Times

Most people who visited the MobiFone branch on Nguyen Chi Thanh Street in Hanoi to refresh their subscriber information did so because they had ignored the network operator's warnings.

A Cau Giay neighborhood resident named Nguyen Ha told The Hanoi Times that updating information is very simple. "I entered my personal information, had my picture taken for my profile, and then waited for an employee to verify. It only took a few minutes, according to Ha.

The number of customers coming to the Viettel location for information updates was also significantly higher than the previous days. In addition to customers who are blocked from receiving incoming calls, there are also many customers who have not been warned by the operator but still came to the operator to get reassured.

As of March 31, the personal information of more than 1.99 million mobile subscribers had been synchronized with the national population database, according to a report by the Telecommunications Department under the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC). Deputy Director of the Department of Telecommunications Nguyen Phong Nha said that standardizing the information is done according to Decree No.49 on mobile telecommunications.

"In order to be able to call again, subscribers who are banned from receiving incoming calls must update their mobile phone information. Users can go to the operator's offices or call their customer service centers (VinaPhone: 18001091, Viettel: 198, and MobiFone: 18001090) for assistance," Nha said.

Vietel branches have more customers than usual. Photo: The Hanoi Times

The carriers will block incoming calls 15 days after the first notification is sent out, while the two-direction block would take effect after the following 15 days if the subscriber still fails to update their personal information with the carriers. After 60 days from the first notification, uncooperative subscribers would have their contracts terminated.

Carriers will send notifications to subscribers who have inaccurate information for five days in a row, at least once a day, asking them to update their information as requested.

"The Department of Telecommunications urged customers to coordinate with mobile service providers to update their information, including name, identification number, and profile picture, to avoid impersonation for illegal activities. The aim of the regulation is to protect the interests of customers using the service and limit the number of junk SIM cards in the market," Nha said.

Statistics show that there are approximately 126 million mobile phone subscribers in Vietnam. There are about 3.5 million mobile subscribers whose information does not match the national population database, according to reports from the country's major mobile operators.