Mexico extends phone line linking to biometric CURP as millions remain unverified

With fewer than half of Mexico’s mobile lines linked to the biometric CURP (Clave Única de Registro de Población) by the June 30 deadline, authorities have extended the rollout and introduced staggered enforcement through late December.

Mexico’s Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (CRT) is continuing to push for the nationwide linkage of mobile phone lines to the country’s biometric CURP identity register, which took effect earlier this year after a legal battle.

The regulator, in a recent statement, disclosed that a new extended drive is set to take place between August and December to ensure that all prepaid and post-paid SIM cards are properly identified.

Per the body, over 60 million prepaid and postpaid phone lines have already been registered, but millions of active ones remain unidentified and in use across telecoms networks, contributing to the growing crime wave in the country.

With the new campaign, authorities aim to make Mexico cease to be one of the countries where one can buy a SIM card without having it linked to their biometric identity.

According to the regulator, the SIM verification exercise will be carried out by telecommunication companies, which will have to verify information about users against their biometric CURP in the National Population Registry (RENAP). It also comes as the government is trying to scale the adoption of the biometric CURP, with a recent $19.9 million contract.

The CRT says it has laid out a calendar urging users to go through the linkage process, and the scheduling is based on the last digit of their telephone number. Those whose lines are not linked within 72 hours after the deadline will have them suspended with immediate effect.

In the event that an unregistered telephone line is used to commit a crime, telecoms companies would be required to provide the necessary information which can help in identifying the person behind it, in line with provisions of the country’s code of criminal procedure.

The move by Mexican authorities aligns with a broader global trend where governments are leveraging digital identity to close the anonymity gap in mobile communications.

In January, Veridas reported a surge in the number of digital identities it processes in Mexico after the phone line identification policy went into force. Regula said in February that it does 300k verifications monthly for the same purpose in Chile.

SIM registration is said to be in place in about 166 countries around the world. From Nigeria to Pakistan, states are increasingly mandating the linkage of SIM cards to biometric national IDs to combat rising rates of kidnapping, fraud, and organized crime. In the case of Nigeria, there is a debate over the effectiveness of the measure in stemming crime. Starting July, phone number registration in Indonesia will require face biometrics.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  Clave Única de Registro de Población (CURP)  |  identity verification  |  Mexico  |  SIM card registration  |  smartphones