(Photo : Three telecom service providers in China confirm that they will strictly execute the real-name registration policy)

Three telecom service providers in China confirm that they will strictly execute the real-name registration policy, which will be carried out on September 1st, 2013. According to the telecom service providers, new mobile phone customers have to use their real IDs to set up new mobile phone services and current customers who haven't registered with their real identities need to go through the registration process when they make changes to the current services. It is confirmed that current customers without identification registration will not experience immediate service shutdown.

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Service providers who fail to enforce the rule will be fined

"The new policy has to be executed. Otherwise, service providers will be fined as a warning to others," said an official in China Unicom.

Before, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the Regulation of Phone Users Identification Registration Policy, which will be in effect from September 1st, 2013. It demands all the telecom service providers to strictly execute the registration policy for services including landline, mobile phone and broadband card.

It is reported that the three telecom service providers take this policy very seriously this time. The order to strictly execute the new policy has already been given by the leaderships in the three telecom companies.

According to the new regulation, which is different from the previous one released in 2010, service providers who fail to execute the policy will be given a penalty of between RMB 10,000 Yuan and 30,000 Yuan. In addition, service operators and providers who concurrently hold the posts of the user data will be given a penalty of between RMB 10,000 Yuan and 30,000 Yuan, as well.

Current customers need to register when updating services

It is reported that, from September 1st, current customers who haven't registered with their real names have to go through the registration process if they need to update services. Although current customers will not experience immediate service shutdown, limitations to updating phone package, changing payment method and reporting the loss of phone exist, which indirectly stimulate customers to register with their real names.

However, the policy is expected to lead to a grey market where some people transfer their existing phone numbers without identification to others.