On August 20, 2026, the first cut of Mexico's mandatory mobile registration had left 4.4 million mobile lines suspended, according to data from the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (CRT) cited by Expansión. The suspension began on August 16, when the deadline expired for numbers ending in 0, and service is restored upon completing the registration.
Mobile registration is the process by which each mobile line is linked to the user's CURP or RFC, a mechanism the CRT is applying in phases based on the last digit of the phone number. Its purpose is to eliminate anonymity in mobile telephony to prevent crimes such as fraud and extortion. According to Forbes México, the authority expects to purge approximately 25 million unused lines over the course of the process, including promotional SIM cards never activated, single-use cards, and numbers with limited usage.
As of August 19, 73.2 million lines were registered in the country, representing 60.5% of the total. In the block ending in 0, the CRT recorded 9.6 million linked lines, 78.9% of a universe of 12.2 million, a figure that differs from the 14 million previously reported by José Antonio Merino, head of the Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency (ATDT). Of the suspended lines in that block, 2.3 million have already been reactivated and the agency expects the reactivation of roughly 2.6 million additional lines, with a purge of approximately 2.5 million unused lines. El Universal reported that users whose lines ending in 0 were suspended can still restore service by linking their data. A Banamex analysis cited by Expansión anticipates that by the end of 2026, 26 million lines will have been suspended, equivalent to two out of every three prepaid numbers, with an estimated monthly revenue loss of 1,900 million pesos for the sector. Expansión describes the operation as one of the largest mobile line disconnection processes on record in the country.
The next deadline is August 31 for lines ending in 1, and the calendar continues in phases through December. The mobile registry is already producing measurable effects, and the recovery path is defined: completing the registration with the carrier restores service immediately.
This article was drafted with artificial intelligence assistance from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.