Hungarian lawmakers tightened rules on prepaid SIM cards last year amid concerns they could be easily resold to criminals or terrorists. The rules now require telcos to check and confirm the personal data of all prepaid subscribers by the end of June.
The NMHH said that prepaid subscribers who fail to reconcile their data will have their contracts cancelled, but added that the law does not prevent them from signing new contracts to keep their numbers and balances.
Magyar Telekom and Telenor have already assured clients who miss the deadline that they may keep their numbers and balances, the NMHH said.
The NMHH expects many subscribers to forgo the reconciliation procedure because they no longer wish to avail themselves of a prepaid service.
Data reconciliation for prepaid mobile subscribers has been mandated in other European Union countries, too. In Belgium, more than 10% of prepaid subscribers were blocked after failing to meet the June 7 data reconciliation deadline there.
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