Cell phone subscribers with 10-digit phone numbers will reportedly not be affected by the coming two network code shifts in mid-September of this year and July of next year, officials said.

Two young people are seen looking to their cell phones. Cell phone subscribers with 10-digit phone numbers will not be affected by the coming two network code shifts in mid-September of this year and July of next year 

The Ministry of Information and Communications had previously launched a plan to switch mobile subscribers from 11-digit phone numbers to 10-digit ones, which will take effect on September 15. Subscribers with 11-digit phone numbers for human-to-human (H2H) communication will have their numbers converted to 10-digit ones, with new network codes dependent on the carrier they register with.

Meanwhile, current subscribers with 10-digit phone numbers will see no changes during the second network code shift and will continue using machine-to-machine (M2M) communication between July 1, 2019, and December 31, 2019.

In particular, users who insert 10-digit SIM cards into smart connecting devices, such as power meters and car black boxes, will shift to using the new M2M network code. In the second shift, mobile carriers will work with their customers to recall their 10-digit phone numbers and concurrently apply the prefix 1x for M2M subscribers.

The 10-digit mobile phone numbers beginning with 09x will be offered to H2H human users only, which means the numbers will be used by humans, not machines.

In the coming time, local mobile network carriers VinaPhone, MobiFone and Viettel will establish systems for managing M2M subscribers only, with the aim of helping customers take the initiative to supervise the operations of SIM cards inserted into M2M devices, including measurement and navigation devices.

According to the Telecom Department under the ministry, after local carriers switch 11-digit numbers to 10-digit ones, mobile phone numbers with the prefix 01x will then be applied to M2M subscribers.

M2M subscribers refer to devices used for transmitting and receiving data and text messages, while H2H subscribers are customers who register for mobile subscriptions for daily human communication.

SGT