Filenews 20 September 2025 - by Michalis Chatzivasilis
Thousands of subscribers with prepaid phones are in danger of being left without a phone, since in less than a month the identification deadline expires and the providers will interrupt the signal.
Based on the law passed by the Parliament for the identification of prepaid mobile telephony card holders, so easy, on November 10, 2025, the deadline expires and no extension will be granted. Several subscribers of Cyta and other mobile phone providers have responded, but thousands of others have not been interested in the possibility of being left without a mobile phone being visible.
It is noted that in the event that a mobile phone owner with so easy does not proceed with the identification, then from November 10 he immediately loses his mobile phone number and any money he has credited to his card. As a result, he loses his contacts and is left without a mobile phone. But the most dangerous concerns the elevators of clinics, hospitals and apartment buildings as well as alarm systems that work with a so easy card. If identification is not done immediately, the connection will be interrupted and in essence the mobile phones will not be able to work and in case of emergency there will be a very serious problem.
According to mobile operators, the identification process is easy and can be done online in four simple steps. The mobile operators, Cyta, Epic, Primetel and Cablenet, are taking various actions to inform customers to proceed with their identification, in order to comply with the legislation. Since last February, Cyta has been encouraging its subscribers to identify themselves online with free top-ups worth €10 with messages on their mobile phones.
Based on the legislation passed by the Parliament last May, as part of the effort made to combat organized crime, the declaration of the details of so easy cardholders is mandatory. The law ended the anonymity of those who used this service, since it was found that many crimes and other actions were carried out with the perpetrators hiding behind the anonymity offered by this service.
Currently, mobile operators are required to identify more than 100,000 users as prepaid airtime mobile cards are widely used in smartphones, alarm systems, elevators, etc.
According to the legislation, in the case of an investigation of a serious form of crime, the Police and by extension the KYP, after securing a court order, will have access to the files of mobile telephony providers where the identity details of prepaid payday phone users are registered. Telecommunications companies are obliged by law to immediately deactivate the connection of a prepaid mobile telephony card holder when requested, in writing, by the Police in the context of the investigation of serious criminal offenses or by the KYP for reasons of security of the Republic.
The legislation also provides for penalties for those who give false information to providers, while providers who will act so easy cards without the user's details being declared are also criminally liable. There is also responsibility for those who transfer or lose the card and do not declare it.
