Beginning on July 29, every Colombian cell phone owner will have a personal cell number that they will be able to transfer between companies or reclaim in the case of theft, Caracol Radio reported Tuesday.
Under the slogan “Your number forever,” the government has advanced technology to allow Colombian citizens, rather than cellphone companies, to own their numbers.
Colombians are currently tied down to their operators unless they are prepared to forego their cell phone numbers.
The new system will aid the government’s plans to prevent phone-theft by creating a large centralized database of numbers whereby stolen sim cards can be blocked and placed on a blacklist.