Overview
- The CRT ordered operators to begin gradual suspensions for numbers that missed the first deadline, applying cuts within a 72-hour window that started on August 16 and continued through August 18.
- Users whose lines were paused can restore service instantly by completing a zero-rated registration on their carrier’s portal or at a customer service center without paying or needing mobile data.
- The enforcement affects millions: there are about 14 million lines ending in 0, roughly 7.5 million of those had been linked by mid‑August and about 6.5 million remained at risk, while industry totals show roughly 157.1 million mobile lines with about 71 million already linked.
- Operators and users reported heavy platform congestion, intermittent service behavior and long waits at service centers as demand to register surged during the first cutoff.
- Regulators say the policy will curb anonymous 'ghost' SIMs used in crime, but analysts warn widespread interruptions could hit digital services and business operations as the staggered calendar moves to numbers ending in 1 on August 31.