Mexico Implements Mandatory Mobile Line Identification Rules

By Goodrich, Riquelme y Asociados

As of January 6, 2025, Mexico has begun enforcing new rules that require the identification of all mobile telephone lines in the country, covering both prepaid and postpaid services. The measures were approved and issued by the Comisión Reguladora de Telecomunicaciones (CRT) and published through official federal channels, establishing that every active mobile number must be linked to an identified individual or legal entity under the applicable regulatory framework.

According to the CRT, the “Guidelines for the Identification of Mobile Telephone Lines” obligate telecommunications operators to collect and validate information that allows each line to be associated with a specific holder. For natural persons, this includes official government-issued identification and population registry data, while legal entities must provide corporate registration and tax identification information. The government has stated that the rules are based on its statutory powers under federal telecommunications law.

The guidelines assign primary responsibility to mobile service providers, which must implement procedures to register, verify, and maintain updated records of line holders. Operators are also required to store and protect the collected data in accordance with the Federal Law on the Protection of Personal Data Held by Private Parties. The CRT has indicated that mobile lines not properly identified within the established timeframes may be subject to service suspension until compliance is achieved.

Official government communications emphasize that the data collected under this framework is retained by telecommunications operators and not consolidated into a single government-managed public registry. Access to the information is limited to purposes authorized by law, including responses to requests from competent authorities made in accordance with due legal process. The CRT has further stated that operators must adopt technical, administrative, and physical safeguards to prevent unauthorized access, alteration, or disclosure of personal data.

The implementation of the identification requirements has generated public discussion regarding personal data protection and privacy. Digital rights organizations and legal analysts have expressed concerns about the scale of data collection and the potential risks associated with the retention of user information by private entities. These discussions frequently reference prior judicial rulings in Mexico that invalidated earlier attempts to create national mobile user registries involving biometric data, citing constitutional protections for privacy and personal data.

Government authorities have responded by distinguishing the current guidelines from previous initiatives, noting that the new rules do not require the collection of biometric information and operate within the existing data protection legal framework. Official statements describe the objective of the guidelines as ensuring that each mobile line has an identifiable holder, while maintaining the applicability of data protection obligations and oversight by the relevant authorities.