Mexico Passes 100 Million Phone Lines Tied to ID; Next Cutoff Nov. 15
Over 100 million Mexican cell lines are now linked to an ID. Lines ending in 6 must register by Nov. 15 or face suspension; here is the full calendar.
More than 100 million cell phone lines in Mexico are now linked to their owners’ official identification, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (CRT) said. Lines that are not registered by their deadline are suspended, and the next cutoff, for numbers ending in 6, is Nov. 15.
The CRT’s figures, updated to November 2026, show more than 100.2 million registered lines, according to a report in Informador. That equals 83.6% of the active lines the regulator expects to be registered by the end of the year.
Registration deadlines by last digit
Deadlines follow the last digit of the phone number. For anyone in Mexico City with a Mexican line, including foreign residents, the remaining dates are:
- Numbers ending in 6: Nov. 15.
- Numbers ending in 7: Nov. 30.
- Numbers ending in 8 and 9: dates in December.
The CRT is urging people not to wait for their date. Lines can be linked early at any time, and the regulator says early registration helps avoid overloaded websites in the days before each cutoff.
What it means if your line is suspended
A suspended line keeps its number. Service comes back immediately once the owner links an ID, and the process does not require a prepaid balance or use mobile data.
Even while suspended, a phone can still call emergency numbers, reach its own carrier, receive the seismic alert and open the websites needed to complete the registration. For Mexico City residents, keeping the earthquake warning on a suspended phone is one of the more practical details of the rule.
Registration is done with the phone company, not with the federal government. Carriers alone collect and store the personal data, and customers can complete the step online or at a service center. The CRT runs a registration portal with direct links to each carrier and answers questions through its citizen hotline, 079, which works 24 hours a day.
How the count is going
The block of numbers ending in 5 had more than 9.4 million completed registrations as of Nov. 4, or 83.2% of the target for that group. About 424 thousand lines in that block that had been suspended were switched back on after their owners registered.
The cleanup of the national list also involves removing roughly 25 million unused lines. Those include gift SIM cards that were never activated, chips used by short-term visitors and one-time promotional lines.
Why the government is tying phones to IDs
Authorities say linking each line to a valid official ID makes it harder to use anonymous numbers for fraud and extortion, and gives investigators a way to trace lines used in crimes. The CRT notes that 166 countries have similar rules.
Source: telegra.ph
