Overview
- The Comisión Reguladora de Telecomunicaciones announced on Thursday a staggered calendar that assigns registration windows from August 15 to December 31 by the last digit of each number and directs operators to suspend noncompliant lines 72 hours after each cutoff.
- The CRT says 63 million lines have been linked so far out of roughly 144.6 million active lines, while independent analysts calculate about 98 million lines still need to register, creating the backlog that prompted the extension.
- Rural and indigenous communities and many mobile virtual network operators report the worst progress, with some registering only 28–35 percent of lines because intermittent internet and the required ID scan plus the 'prueba de vida' selfie routinely fail.
- The CRT has emphasized that carriers perform and store the linkage and that authorities may request data only under legal process, but concerns remain about facial-photo handling and regulators have not yet published formal amended protocols in the Diario Oficial.
- Practical effects are immediate for people and businesses: suspended lines will be limited to emergency calls and operator contact until re-registration, so officials and companies must publish the rules and step up targeted outreach and offline support for low‑connectivity and vulnerable users.