Mr. Trairat Wiriyasirikul, Deputy Secretary-General and Acting Secretary-General of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), revealed that today (14 May 2026), the NBTC's announcement on preserving prepaid mobile phone numbers takes effect. This protects all prepaid mobile users (excluding Tourist SIMs) who still have remaining balance when their validity expires, preventing issues caused by forgetting to top up before expiration that leads to number cancellation.
Under this service, mobile operators will automatically renew the validity by deducting 3 baht per time (excluding VAT), extending the validity by 30 days each time. This deduction can occur continuously up to 6 times, totaling 180 days, helping users avoid number cancellation if they forget to top up. Furthermore, at least 3 days before the expiration date, the operators will send an SMS notification warning about the upcoming deduction and provide instructions on how to opt out of the renewal fee deduction.
Mr. Trairat said that if the number owner does not wish to use this service, they can notify the mobile operator to reject the automatic deduction for renewal at least 1 day before the expiration date. If they want to resume the service later, they can inform the operator through the designated channels.
However, the number preservation service will stop, and operators will cease deductions in two cases: when the remaining balance is insufficient to cover the renewal fee or when the operator has deducted 6 consecutive times without a top-up. In such cases, the operator will terminate the service contract, leading to number cancellation and recycling for reassignment. If there is still balance left in the number, users can contact the operator to request a refund.
This announcement only extends the period before a number is canceled for a limited time. Users must regularly check their balance and remaining validity. When the validity expires, users must top up. A single top-up of any amount will add at least 30 days of validity, and users can accumulate validity for up to 365 days.
." Government Policy Additional