Mexico’s Comisión Reguladora de Telecomunicaciones (CRT) announced a staggered extension to the mandatory registration of mobile lines on Thursday, scrapping the original 30 June deadline after only 62.5 million of the country’s 144.5 million active lines—43 percent—had been linked to a national identity code. Under the new calendar, prepaid users must complete the process between 15 August and 31 December 2025, with the deadline determined by the final digit of their phone number. Operators will suspend non-compliant lines 72 hours after each cohort’s cut-off, restricting service to emergency calls, citizen helplines and seismic alerts until registration is completed.

Viewed from the presidency, the measure is a public-security necessity. President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters that eliminating anonymous prepaid SIMs would curb extortion, fraud and virtual kidnappings, and she rejected allegations that the government intends to spy on citizens. The CRT stressed that the data—limited to name and CURP—is held exclusively by telecom companies, not the state, and that law-enforcement access requires a judicial order under the National Code of Criminal Procedure. Officials also note that Mexico is joining roughly 160 other nations that already require identity verification for mobile services.

Opposition lawmakers and civil-society groups in Mexico have challenged both the timeline and the safeguards. Senator Mario Vázquez of the conservative PAN party urged a 180-day delay, citing reports of lines being linked to individuals without their consent and a lack of transparent mechanisms to correct errors. Privacy advocates point to the state’s poor record on data protection, including the 2009–2012 RENAUT database that was leaked onto the black market and a recent exposure of CURP codes on social-programme platforms. They argue that the government has shifted reputational and operational risk onto operators, and that repurposing commercially collected data for security ends may violate Mexico’s personal-data legislation.

Across Latin America, mandatory registration is already the norm. Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Chile and Panama all require identity checks for prepaid users, with some employing biometric verification. Spain introduced compulsory registration after the 2004 Madrid train bombings, in which mobile phones were used as detonators. Yet Mexico’s rollout faces distinct hurdles: a persistent black market for pre-registered SIM cards, the risk that disconnected users will migrate to WiFi-based communication and strain wireless infrastructure, and the logistical challenge of processing over 80 million remaining lines within a few months.

The staggered calendar begins on 15 August for numbers ending in zero and concludes on 31 December for those ending in nine. Postpaid lines, already associated with a named contract, are being registered automatically. The CRT has said it will monitor compliance, while opposition figures continue to press for a longer delay and clearer correction procedures. The dossier remains open to potential legal challenges centred on data-protection guarantees and the proportionality of the suspension mechanism.