Filenews 9 July 2025 - by Vasos Vassiliou
Tens of thousands of phone users with a prepaid mobile phone card may find themselves without a mobile phone number next November, in case they do not cooperate with the mobile phone companies so that they can be identified and the state knows which mobile number each citizen has.
The identification of mobile phone holders, who operate with a prepaid card, is achieved through relevant regulations, the discussion of which began yesterday before the parliamentary committee on transport, with its president Marinos Mousouttas warning companies/providers that if they do not identify their customers, then they will lose them.
When Mr. Mousiouttas asked the representatives of the mobile telephony companies as to the percentage of their customers (prepaid mobile phone card holders) that they have identified to date (and just four months before the implementation of the legislation on November 3, 2025), the answers were disappointing and reveal the size of the problem: Cyta has identified 17% of its customers, Epic has identified less than 5%, Primetel has just launched its identification campaign, while Cablenet has identified around 4% of its customers with a prepaid mobile card.
To demonstrate the work that remains to be done, it is noted that 417,631 prepaid mobile phone cards are currently in force. About half of them belong to customers of CYTA, which has gone further than the other companies in terms of identification.
It is noteworthy, however, that among adults, the percentage of those who use a prepaid card is limited to 4%. It is also worth noting that the number of users of such cards is decreasing, which is attributed to the preference of mobile phone holders to join unlimited (Unlimited) voice+sms+data programs. 78% of adult users are contracted with companies that offer a complete and unlimited package of services (voice+sms+data). However, for the entire population (regardless of age), the number of contract subscribers with Unlimited voice + SMS + data amounts to 59.56%, while the contract subscribers (not unlimited) are 40.44%.
The fact that mobile telephony contract subscribers amount to 1,509,691 at the time when the population of Cyprus in the year 2023 was 923,381 is also sensational. This shows that some people have more than one mobile phone card, including those related to prepaid services. Prepaid card holders are mainly young people, foreign workers or even tourists, and this is an issue in the event that the numbers affected by the legislation are deactivated. Prepaid cards are also used in alarm systems or for other related reasons. In Cyprus, the number of subscribers with a contract amounts to 1,092,060 compared to 417,631 prepaid mobile phone users.
The promotion of regulations regarding prepaid mobile phone cards, according to the government, aims to strengthen public safety and investigate serious criminal offenses.
It is noted that those who give false information in order to hide their identity are fined up to €50,000 or imprisonment for up to five years.
The regulations also provide that "where the required data specified in the Law are not available, identification is not possible and therefore the activation of the prepaid mobile telephony service is not allowed". The regulations also provide for the possibility of recognizing a minor's attempt to register, in which case the request for identification is rejected with a relevant "error message". Minors can obtain a prepaid card when accompanied by their parents or another minor. This will also help unaccompanied children to obtain a mobile phone card.
The Commissioner for Personal Data Protection, Irene Loizidou Nicolaides, indicated that copies of the applicants' identity cards must be destroyed within a reasonable period of time after identification, so that there is no possibility of a breach of citizens' personal data. The Commissioner for Communications is responsible for the management of the whole process, who will implement the promoted regulations, which harmonize the Cypriot legislation with the "Regulation (EU) 2016/679". This is the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data.
