VietNamNet Bridge – Some 34 million users out of 38 million pre-paid mobile phone numbers nationwide have not yet provided their personal information, including portrait photo.

A customer gets a portrait photo taken at a Vinaphone store. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyet

The information was revealed by Viet Nam Telecommunications Authority until mid-March.

Decree 49, issued last year, stipulates that by April 24, 2018, all mobile subscriptions activated before April 24, 2017, have to be registered with accurate information of owners, including name, identification/passport number and a profile picture.

If they fail to register, the providers will block incoming calls after 15 days and stop providing services in the next 15 days. The number of customers who need to complete the process is very high, especially those who activated their numbers before Decree 49 took effect, the authority said.

As the deadline of updating the personal portrait photo is coming to a close, mobile phone providers have been sending messages to customers to remind them.

The number of subscribers now coming to the stores of three major mobile phone providers—MobiFone, VinaPhone, Viettel—to take portrait photos has risen in recent days, leaving the stores crowded, Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper reported.

Many customers complained that they have to wait long for their turn.

The providers have to extend the service time everyday and increase the number of staff to manage the crowd.

Customers can check online whether the required information is completed by accessing the provider’s website. They can also submit photos online instead of physically going to stores.

At a recent meeting with mobile phone providers, Minister of Information and Communications Truong Minh Tuan said that providers can use the photo from a subscriber’s valid ID card for the required information instead of asking him/her to submit photo.

Flexible solutions can be applied as long as they follow regulations, he said.

There are currently nearly 120 million mobile phone users across the country. 

Source: VNS