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| A fine of up to VNĐ40 million (US$1,760) will be applied to the trading of pre-activated SIM cards, according to a decree on penalities on telecommunications, information and technology sector. — Photo vietnamplus.vn |
Viet Nam News
HÀ NỘI — Trading pre-activating SIM cards is now punishable by a fine up to VNĐ40 million (US$1,760), according to a decree on penalties in the telecommunications, information and technology sector.
Under Decree 49 issued by the Government, mobile network providers will be subjected to a fine of VNĐ1 million ($44) per subscriber if they provide services for customers with fake names and ID numbers.
Network operators will receive fines of VNĐ80-100 million ($3,520-4,400) if they don’t ask mobile subscribers to sign contracts and provide information.
A fine of VNĐ180-200 million ($7,918-8,800) will be applied if they violate regulations on registering, storing and using mobile accounts’ information.
The decree took effect on April 24. Over the three months after the decree becomes operational, telecommunication firms have the responsibility to review their distribution channels and confiscate pre-activated SIM cards.
The new rule also annuls the limits on the ownership of prepaid SIM cards per person. Individuals can register more than three prepaid SIM cards but they must sign a contract with mobile operators.
The decree is seen as a move to prevent the use of unregistered SIM cards as well as tackling text message spam.
Earlier, the Ministry of Information and Communications adopted measures to solve the problem by strengthening inspections of pre-activated SIM cards. Nearly 20 million pre-activated SIM cards were confiscated by the end of February. — VNS
