July 13, 2026 by Allan Wall
In a previous article early last month, I reported that the Mexican government is requiring all cellphone users, including foreigners living in Mexico, to register their cellphone numbers with the government. The deadline was June 30th. (See Mexican Government Requiring all Cellphone Users to Register with the Government).
There have been some changes in that requirement, in both the deadline and which phones are to be registered.
From Mexperience: “On January 9, 2026, Mexico enacted a new law requiring all cell phone numbers to be verifiably associated with an individual. The law required users to register by no later than June 30, 2026 and telephone companies were told to suspend all lines not registered on July 1.”
“By late June 2026, it was estimated that less than half of all lines were registered, and the government announced a new timetable that focuses on registration of pre-pay cellular telephony lines—that is, lines without a monthly contract.”
“Only pre-pay (pay-as-you-go) phones need to register now…customers on contract cell phones no longer need to undertake the registration process….Customers using a pre-pay (pay-as-you-go) cell phone must still register their phone, and the new timetable for disconnections is staggered between August and December 2026, based on the last digit of the cellphone’s line number.”
There is an organization in Mexico called R3D: Red en Defensa de los Derechos Digitales (Network in Defense of Digital Rights) which opposed the original cellphone registration plan.
The R3D organization opposed the registration for three reasons:
1. It can be a database for tracking citizens.
2.There are data security risks.
3. There is no evidence that such registration reduces crime.
After the change was announced on June 25th, the R3D organization tweeted this: “An extension for the registration of telephone lines would have to be accompanied by other dialogues. Citizens have the right to doubt, and the government has the obligation to explain what security measures are being implemented to protect our information.”
by Allan Wall for Mexico News Report
Source: Mexico News Report
