While many citizens actively cooperate in authenticating their subscriber information, there are still many who are negligent and subjective. Despite receiving notification messages and calls from network operators, many people still ignore them, assuming the procedure is unnecessary or fearing complex operations. It is this mentality that makes the process of standardizing information difficult in many areas, especially in remote and isolated regions.

In Nặm Chan 2 village, Nà Tấu commune, Lý A Lệnh was assisted by a Vinaphone staff member who came directly to his home to check and update his subscriber information. For many households here, self-authentication via mobile apps is still quite new. Many people do not even know whether the subscription they are using has been authenticated or not.

Tòng Văn Thủy, a sales staff member of VNPT Điện Biên Phủ - Mường Ảng under Điện Biên Telecommunications, stated: During the implementation process, many citizens, upon receiving messages from the network operator, often think it is advertising or do not clearly understand the content, so they ignore it. Only when staff members directly visit and explain the risks of having outgoing and incoming calls blocked, or the impacts on bank accounts and e-wallets linked to the phone number, do the people actively cooperate in the implementation.

In current reality, standardizing subscriber information is no longer a mere procedural requirement. As the phone number has become a “key” to log into banks, e-wallets, public services, and many other digital platforms, a subscription that is not owned by the genuine user or not fully authenticated can entirely become a loophole for malicious actors to exploit for fraudulent acts and property appropriation.

According to regulations, subscriptions that do not standardize information as required will be one-way blocked, then two-way blocked, and the number may be revoked if updates are continually not made. This means users risk losing communication, interrupting bank transactions, failing to receive OTP codes, or losing the right to use a phone number they have had for many years.

Currently, VNPT Điện Biên is managing about 180,000 Vinaphone subscriptions that need information review and authentication according to regulations. This is a very large number, distributed throughout the province, with a high concentration in remote, isolated, and difficult areas. After more than 1 month of implementation, from April 15 to the present, the entire province has had about 140,000 subscriptions completely authenticated, reaching approximately 80%. This result shows the quite drastic involvement of VNPT Điện Biên right from the early stage.

However, the remaining 20% of subscriptions are the most difficult group to handle. Among these, there are over 1,000 enterprise subscriptions requiring a review of legal records; over 5,000 subscriptions still using old ID cards that need to be converted to citizen identity cards; along with a large number of subscriptions in remote and isolated areas, where people are not accustomed to technological operations or do not truly care about information authentication.

To handle subscriber information authentication, VNPT Điện Biên has proactively categorized subscriptions by area and target group for synchronous implementation. The unit organizes mobile teams to go directly to villages and hamlets to process according to a specific list; allocates about 50 - 70% of the mobile force to focus on remote and isolated areas; mobilizes local collaborators to support with language, propaganda, and mobilizing citizens; while simultaneously coordinating with the Commune People’s Committee and commune police to organize centralized support points for on-the-spot processing.

Bùi Việt Hoàng stated that VNPT Điện Biên identifies the implementation of subscriber authentication in remote and isolated areas not only as a progress requirement but also as a responsibility to ensure the right to access digital services for citizens across the entire area, leaving no region behind.

In parallel with direct support, VNPT Điện Biên is pushing forward in guiding citizens to self-check and authenticate their subscriptions right at home. For smartphone users, people can do this through the MyVNPT application combined with a VNeID account. Users simply need to log into the MyVNPT app and check the subscriber information section to verify personal data. If the system displays an update request or the information does not match the National Population Database, people can perform direct authentication on the app following step-by-step instructions.

For the elderly, those who do not use smartphones, or those facing difficulties in operation, they only need to bring their original citizen identity card or old ID card to the nearest VNPT transaction points to receive assistance with checking, taking a portrait photo, and quickly updating their information on the system.

In the context of increasingly sophisticated technological scams, standardizing mobile subscriber information is one of the crucial solutions to limit spam SIMs, protect personal data, and ensure safety for users in the digital environment. To achieve this goal, besides the network operator’s efforts, the most important thing is the proactiveness of the citizens themselves. Because the longer the delay in authentication, the greater the risk of service interruption and information insecurity.