Chile officially rolled out mandatory real‑name registration for prepaid mobile numbers on August 20, 2026. Under the General Telecommunications Act, both new and legacy prepaid numbers must be linked to user identities to eliminate number anonymity and combat telecom‑enabled fraud. The policy follows a phased roll‑out: non‑registered numbers past the deadline face top‑up restrictions rather than immediate service suspension.
According to Q1‑2026 statistics from Subtel (Undersecretariat of Telecommunications), Chile has approximately 4.425 million prepaid mobile subscribers, accounting for 19 % of total national mobile users. Operators are required to store user real‑name data including full name, residential address, national ID or passport. Registration is available via digital online channels and physical retail points. Verification methods include fingerprint, facial recognition, security challenge questions, two‑factor authentication and advanced electronic signatures. Registration workflows reuse existing systems for number porting and SIM‑card replacement.
New prepaid SIM‑cards cannot be activated without completed identity verification. Active existing prepaid numbers are not subject to immediate registration; the real‑name requirement is triggered when users perform operator‑assisted operations such as account top‑up or data‑bundle purchase. Users receive a notice and are granted 10 calendar days to finish verification. Expired non‑compliant numbers are blocked from receiving new top‑ups, while existing account balance and subscribed services remain unaffected.
Chile Telcos, the industry association formed by ClaroVTR, Entel, Movistar and other carriers, states it is working on streamlining procedures. Operators bear obligations for identity validation and personal‑data custody. Personal information shall be used solely for regulatory registration purposes and must not be repurposed. The regime removes administrative‑level number anonymity and provides foundations for tracing fraudulent communications.
