Mexico’s regulatory authority CRT has published guidance on new real-name registration rules for mobile numbers. The regulation enters into force on 9 January 2026. All prepaid and postpaid mobile lines nationwide must be linked to CURP or RFC identity information, with registration to be completed by 30 June. Operators are authorised to suspend service for non-compliant lines after the deadline. The policy targets anonymous SIM cards at source and curbs unregulated grey-market A2P SMS channels, benefiting licensed compliant aggregators.
The legislative text was published in Mexico’s Federal Official Gazette (DOF) and carries supreme legal force. The new rules apply to physical SIM cards and eSIMs, covering new subscriptions and existing numbers. Natural persons may register a maximum of 10 mobile numbers; legal entities register using RFC tax IDs with no quantity limit. Operators including Telcel, AT&T and Movistar offer two registration channels: online document upload with facial verification and in-person service at physical stores.
The core objective is to remove anonymity from mobile numbers and prevent anonymous SIM cards from being used for telecom fraud, spam SMS and other illegal activities. Large volumes of unregistered prepaid SIM cards are being disconnected, drastically reducing the viability of grey-market A2P bulk messaging relying on SIM farms and anonymous SIM pools.
For the A2P sector, this regulatory shift favours locally licensed aggregators with direct operator interconnections and registered Sender‑IDs. A supporting number lookup platform is being rolled out, allowing users to check mobile numbers registered under their identity and unlink unauthorised lines. Temporary exemptions to real-name rules may be granted by operators for disaster emergency response. Enterprises providing SMS services should abandon grey-market SIM pool models and conduct business via official interconnection routes.
