Industry Pushes Back on Mandatory Mobile Line Registry

As Mexico approaches the June 30 deadline to register mobile lines, telecom operators and industry analysts warn that the measure could create new costs and access barriers without fully solving security concerns. The debate now focuses on whether the CRT’s rules can improve traceability while avoiding disruption for carriers, MVNOs, and prepaid users.

Mexico’s mandatory mobile line registry is facing growing criticism from telecom industry players, who warn that the measure could impose high operating costs on carriers, slow mobile market growth, and fail to deliver stronger digital security if identity validation gaps remain unresolved.

The registry, issued by the Commission for Telecommunications Regulation (CRT), requires mobile operators and resellers to link active mobile lines to a verified account holder. Under the rules, individuals must provide a valid photo ID and CURP, while companies must register lines in person using their RFC, as well as documentation proving the identity and authority of their legal representative. The measure entered into force in January 2026, with existing users required to complete the process by June 30.

The rules were designed to strengthen traceability in Mexico’s mobile market, particularly in prepaid services, where anonymous or weakly verified SIM cards have raised security concerns. Operators must offer both in-person and remote registration options. Remote processes require identity validation and a “proof of life” mechanism, while providers must also develop platforms to manage registration, deregistration, and user consultations on which lines are linked to a CURP or RFC.

However, the implementation is triggering strong pushback from industry specialists. Ernesto Piedras, Director General, The Competitive Intelligence Unit (The CIU), warns that the dispute is increasing tension between authorities and operators, as the government is transferring costs, operational risks, and reputational pressure to the industry without guaranteeing effectiveness in public security.

Mony De Swaan, President, Mexican Association of Mobile Virtual Operators (AMOMVAC), says that the design should be discarded, arguing that the registry has too many gaps to become an effective security mechanism while simultaneously damaging the mobile telecommunications ecosystem. De Swaan also warns that the model lacks stronger identity validation, since the system does not incorporate biometric verification and relies on a selfie or photo for remote registration and ID plus CURP for in-person processes.

The cost of compliance has become one of the main concerns. According to El Financiero, the registry could cost operators over MX$4 billion (US$232 million), mainly due to identity validation, technology platforms, consultation systems, authentication mechanisms, and secure information management for more than 160 million mobile lines. CRT reports estimate that the central platform would cost about  MX$22 million, while most of the financial burden would fall on operators such as Telcel, AT&T, Telefónica, Altán Redes, and mobile virtual operators.

The registry is also affecting market dynamics. The CIU reports that during 1Q26, the mandatory registration process contributed not only to a contraction in existing users but also to new barriers for mobile line activation. Traditional operators lost close to 1 million lines, while gross additions fell sharply: Telcel stopped adding 1.2 million lines compared with the previous quarter, AT&T reduced additions by 1.4 million, and mobile virtual operators reported a drop of 3 million new activations.

The impact is especially relevant for mobile virtual operators (MVNOs), which depend on fast activation processes, prepaid users, and flexible distribution channels. According to The CIU, MVNOs recorded their first contraction since 2019, losing 74,000 users during the quarter and reaching 37 million lines. The consultancy warns that the registry introduces longer processes and additional validations that increase friction at the point of sale, particularly in a prepaid-heavy market where users are sensitive to cost and access barriers.

Progress in the registration process remains uneven. Norma Solano, President Commissioner, CRT, says that by mid-May, the registry had reached 48 million lines, after adding 18 million lines in 24 days. Solano says the increase was mainly driven by the incorporation of postpaid lines that had not previously been included in the tally. However, El Financiero reports that 112.7 million lines still needed to be registered before the June 30 deadline, requiring an average of 1.5 million daily registrations.

Progress varies by operator. According to CRT figures, AT&T had reached 29% registration progress, Bait 28%, Telcel 19%, and Movistar 16%. 

For the industry, however, the concern is that a registry without stronger identity validation may fail to address the security problem it was designed to solve, while imposing additional burdens on operators and users. The CIU argues that the goal of traceability is legitimate, but that the implementation risks reducing competition, slowing adoption, and excluding price-sensitive users for whom a mobile line is essential for digital inclusion.