This requirement has been set forth for telecom companies in Article 8 of Circular 08 from the Ministry of Science and Technology regarding the guidance on authenticating information for mobile subscribers. The circular takes effect from April 15, while Article 8 comes into force on June 15.
Specifically, within a maximum of two hours after the telecom system detects that a subscriber has changed their device from the previous registration, the telecom company must review, identify, and temporarily suspend outgoing services for that subscriber, such as making calls or sending text messages, while still allowing incoming calls, messages, and normal internet access.
During this time, the telecom company will send a notification requiring the subscriber to verify their facial biometrics. According to a representative from a telecom company, they will implement this through various forms, such as flash messages (one-time display notifications), along with continuous SMS messages, urging users to comply with the regulations.
The authentication using facial biometrics will be conducted in two ways: through electronic services or direct verification.
Among these, electronic services include those from telecom providers, such as My Viettel, My VNPT, My MobiFone, etc., and the user’s authentication information must match the data in the National Population Database, the ID Database, the National Immigration Database, and the data stored in the encrypted information storage of the ID card.
An expert in the telecommunications field confirmed that this process is simple, similar to logging into a banking account or the VNeID app on a new phone.
For direct verification, users must go to the telecom store, where their live facial images will be compared with the biometric information legally stored in the company’s database.
Users verify their ownership of SIM cards in May 2026 in Phu Tho. Photo: Luu Quy
“Telecom companies are responsible for the accuracy and consistency of the facial biometric information,” the regulation states.
The circular also sets technical requirements for the facial authentication system, such as the technology used must achieve high accuracy, with a false rejection rate below 5% and a false acceptance rate of 0.01%, according to international FIDO standards. Furthermore, the system must be capable of detecting forms of biometric fraud, such as using photos, videos, or 3D masks to bypass the verification step. Telecom companies must also retain information to prove the verification, such as the time of execution for each subscriber.
If users do not re-verify within 30 days of changing devices, the telecom company may take stronger measures, such as suspending the two-way service or terminating the contract.
Facial verification when changing devices is one of the subsequent measures aimed at preventing the use of unregistered SIM cards. According to experts, this aims to limit situations where users’ SIM cards are exploited by others or situations where SIM cards are registered and then resold, which have been one of the causes of spam calls and scams in recent times.
Previously, Circular 08, which took effect on April 15, required telecom companies to ensure that mobile subscribers have four fields of information, including personal identification number, full name, date of birth, and facial biometric data, which must match the National Population Database of the Ministry of Public Security. A new point in the circular allows users to verify their SIMs through the VNeID app, followed by a re-verification request for unregistered subscribers.
The anticipated SIM verification process when users change devices. Graphic: Luu Quy/ChatGPT
