Mexico’s 98M Prepaid Lines Face CURP ID Cutoff Starting Aug 15
Telecom: Mexico City
Key Facts
—Scale. Mexico’s telecom regulator, the CRT, says about 98 million mobile lines — roughly 61% of the market — are still not linked to a CURP national ID, against some 63 million already registered.
—Deadline. The first hard cutoff falls on 15 August 2026 for numbers ending in 0; the rest follow a staggered calendar by last digit through 31 December 2026.
—Who. Only prepaid lines must act; postpaid and monthly-plan users are already registered, and data-only and emergency numbers are exempt.
—Penalty. After each deadline, carriers Telcel, AT&T and Movistar have up to 72 hours to suspend unlinked lines, leaving only emergency calls and official alerts.
—Legal. The 2026 CURP registry is not the biometric PANAUT struck down by the Supreme Court; the Court barred fingerprint and facial data but let ID-based line linking stand.
Mexico’s CURP phone registration reaches its first hard cutoff on 15 August, when carriers may begin suspending prepaid mobile lines that are not linked to a national ID under a rule covering some 98 million unregistered numbers.
What Changes on 15 August
The CRT (Comisión Reguladora de Telecomunicaciones), Mexico’s telecom regulator, has set 15 August 2026 as the first firm deadline in a program requiring every mobile line to be linked to the holder’s CURP, the country’s unique population registry code. Numbers ending in 0 must be registered by that date.
The regulator says roughly 98 million lines, about 61% of the market, are still unregistered, against some 63 million already linked. Headlines describing 98 million people losing service on a single day overstate the mechanics: only lines ending in 0 face the 15 August cutoff.
The remaining digits follow a staggered calendar. Numbers ending in 1 have until 31 August, and the sequence continues roughly every two weeks until numbers ending in 9 reach their deadline on 31 December 2026.
Who Has to Register — and Who Does Not
The obligation applies only to prepaid lines, the pay-as-you-go plans historically sold without tying a number to a named holder. The CRT frames the drive as a way to attach each line to an identifiable person.
Postpaid and monthly-plan customers are exempt because their details were captured when they signed contracts. Lines used only for data transmission, and numbers reserved for emergency services, also fall outside the rule.
For the roughly 98 million unregistered lines, the great majority of them prepaid, the practical task is to link the number to a CURP before that number’s calendar date, or risk having service cut off.
How the Registration Works
The CRT says the process is free and must be completed with the mobile carrier, not with the federal government. Users can register through their operator’s website or app, or in person at a customer-service center.
Applicants provide their CURP and a valid official ID, such as a voter credential or passport. Some online flows add an identity check using photos of the document and a ‘liveness’ test through the phone’s camera; the regulator says verification images must be deleted once the process ends.
If a line is not linked by its deadline, carriers Telcel, AT&T and Movistar have up to 72 hours to suspend it. A suspended line can still reach emergency numbers, contact the operator and receive official alerts such as earthquake warnings, and full service returns once registration is completed.
The Legal Backdrop: This Is Not PANAUT
The initiative revives a politically sensitive idea. In 2021 Mexico created PANAUT, the Padrón Nacional de Usuarios de Telefonía Móvil, a centralized registry that would have collected biometric data. The Supreme Court (SCJN) struck it down in April 2022, ruling it disproportionate and a risk to privacy.
Officials and fact-checkers stress that the 2026 scheme is not PANAUT. It does not gather fingerprints or facial recognition and does not build a single state-held biometric database; instead it links a line to an existing CURP and an official ID held by the carrier.
The distinction has still drawn legal challenges. In early 2026 the SCJN again rejected any requirement to hand over biometric data to register a line, while allowing ID-based linking to proceed. Courts have continued to weigh injunctions over the broader CURP debate, and the outcome remains contested.
Why Mexico Says It Is Doing This
The CRT presents the registry as a tool against fraud and extortion, crimes frequently carried out from anonymous prepaid lines. It says the measure aligns Mexico with a practice used in more than 160 countries.
Carriers have felt the impact. Reports indicate AT&T alone lost more than 600,000 prepaid users tied to the registration push, as some customers abandoned lines rather than register.
Critics counter that the earlier PANAUT experience produced little evidence that such registries reduce crime, and civil-society groups have raised data-protection concerns. The government maintains that the lighter, CURP-based model addresses those objections.
What Expats in Mexico Should Do
Foreign residents are covered like anyone else if they hold a Mexican prepaid line. The CURP is now issued to foreigners with legal residence, so expats can obtain one and use it to register their number.
Those on postpaid or monthly plans generally do not need to act, since their details were recorded at signup. Prepaid users, common among new arrivals and short-term visitors, should check their number’s last digit against the CRT calendar and register before that date.
A practical warning: a suspended line can disrupt more than calls. Many banks send verification codes by SMS and use the mobile number to confirm transfers or recover passwords, so a lapsed registration could temporarily complicate access to digital banking.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many phone lines could be cut in Mexico, and when?
The CRT says about 98 million mobile lines, roughly 61% of the market, are still not linked to a CURP. Suspensions are staggered by the number’s last digit: those ending in 0 face a 15 August 2026 cutoff, with the rest running through 31 December 2026.
Do I have to register my Mexican phone line?
Only prepaid lines must be linked to a CURP and an official ID. Postpaid and plan customers were registered at signup, and data-only and emergency numbers are exempt. The process is free and is done with your carrier, not the government.
Is this the same as PANAUT, the registry the Supreme Court struck down?
No. Officials and fact-checkers say the 2026 CURP registration does not collect biometric data or build a central state database. The Supreme Court barred fingerprint and facial-data requirements but allowed carriers to link lines to a CURP and official ID.
Sources
Infobae · El Imparcial · Ámbito · SCJN
Sources: Infobae; El Imparcial; Ámbito; Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief