The 90 million users of prepaid mobile phone services must all register their numbers by July 31 or their service will be suspended, according to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC).
Prepaid mobile phone users have to register their name with operators by July 31. (Bangkok Post file photo)
NBTC secretary-general Thakorn Tanthasit said the commission set Feb 1 as the first day for strict enforcement of the registration of prepaid mobile phones with mobile operators or at Krungthai Bank, superstores like Tesco Lotus and Big C and also 7-Eleven convenience stores.
Users will be given six months to register, otherwise mobile operators were to suspend the service. This was a move to the prevent use of mobile prepaid phones in security cases such as the detonation of bombs.
NBTC commissioner PrawitLeesathapornwongsa said the registration requirement for prepaid users had been law for a long time, but had not been strictly implemented.
There were now as many as 90 million prepaid users.
The principle is to register before the activation of a new number, but mobile phone operators had ignored it.
He said the new requirement is unfair to consumers, so the NBTC should find a way to soften the impact -- such as setting a condition that non-registered users will not be able to top up the credit for their mobile phone.