After a Circular issued by the Ministry of Information and Communications, effective since April 13, mobile phone subscribers still cannot escape harassment of unwanted advertisers and irritating marketing messaging, which they had hoped they would be free off.
Besides they are required to provide details such as full name, ID or passport number and date of birth, when registering for a new mobile phone or else mobile operators have instructions to stop providing service.
According to the ministry, mobile service providers add 10 million new subscribers each year, 80 percent of whom are one-time subscribers who buy a SIM card without registering or providing personal information.
Because of unhealthy competition among mobile operators, all of who want to increase their number of mobile phone subscribers, post-paid subscribers often suffer at cost of prepaid subscribers.
The ministry should thus tighten management of mobile operators, who have to further control agents and Sim card distributors throughout the country.
Experts say that to fully develop the mobile market, post-paid subscribers must be increased and also given more focus, rather than cater to prepaid subscribers.
