Mexico’s mandatory mobile phone registration drive has reached just 62.5 million of the country’s 144.5 million active lines, according to the national telecoms regulator, the CRT, leaving nearly 60 million users facing service suspension when the deadline expires on 30 June. The policy, which requires every prepaid and postpaid number to be linked to the holder’s unique population registry code (CURP) and a valid identity document, was designed to strip anonymity from mobile services and disrupt extortion, fraud and kidnapping rings. With six days remaining, the registration rate stands at 43 percent, a figure that opposition lawmakers and civil-society groups describe as evidence of an operational crisis that could trigger an involuntary “phone blackout” for millions of Mexicans.

President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration has defended the measure as a public-security necessity, noting that Mexico is one of the few countries where prepaid SIMs are not routinely tied to a verified identity. The CRT and the newly created Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency argue that linking every line to a real person will help law enforcement trace criminal calls and reduce the estimated 5.7 million extortion attempts recorded each year. However, the government has signalled flexibility: Sheinbaum stated that a decision on a possible extension would be announced on 26 June, and officials have acknowledged that forcing a mass re-registration of existing users would be “premature” without adequate infrastructure.

In the Senate, the opposition Movimiento Ciudadano party has tabled a bill to extend the registration window from 120 to 360 working days, warning that a sudden disconnection would sever access to banking apps, government services, education platforms and health consultations for low-income and rural communities that rely almost exclusively on mobile internet. The conservative Partido Acción Nacional has separately demanded a 180-day moratorium, citing reports of lines being linked to citizens’ identities without their consent and a lack of a clear mechanism to correct errors. Business groups are split: the national chamber of commerce, Concanaco Servytur, has refused to request a delay, insisting that citizens must assume responsibility and register immediately, while the banking association has urged customers to complete the process to avoid disruptions to mobile authentication, though BBVA México clarified that its app will remain accessible via Wi-Fi even if mobile data is cut.

Mexico’s experience sits within a broader global trend. According to the GSMA, around 160 governments now require identity verification for mobile subscriptions. In Indonesia, a new regulation taking effect on 1 July 2026 will mandate facial-recognition checks for all new SIM purchases, but the communications ministry has explicitly exempted existing subscribers from re-registration, a contrast that analysts in Southeast Asia attribute to Jakarta’s desire to avoid the kind of public backlash and logistical bottlenecks now visible in Mexico. In Argentina, a provincial legislator in Salta has separately proposed banning cell phones inside prisons to curb extortion calls, underscoring the regional focus on mobile-linked crime. The CRT is expected to clarify on 26 June whether the Mexican deadline will be extended or whether a phased, rather than immediate, suspension of unregistered lines will be adopted.