Xie Yi, a China Telecom employee, said the company has put together a team to handle the real-name work, and it asked all stores to ensure the identity of every new user was verified.

"We will remind current users to provide real identity certificates, and we will collect their information," he said. "Our employees and agents have an obligation and signed a contract to protect our users' information safety."

China Unicom said it will invest in a secure database to collect and protect users' information.

Since September 2010, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has imposed a real-name system on cellphone numbers, but it is not obligatory.

What companies should do as soon as possible is conduct an additional registration for their current clients and those who stored SIM card charges before their cellphone purchases, said Wang Zhenmin, a law professor of Tsinghua University.

"Previously, we saw many people selling cellphone numbers on the streets, and that will be curbed if the telecom operators can strictly enforce the real-name system," he said.

Ruan Qilin, a law professor at China University of Political Science and Law, echoed Wang's sentiments, saying the real-name system can contribute to residents' self-discipline and help police to trace those using cellphones to commit crimes.

He suggested the operators should be careful matching the users and their information.

Contact the writer at caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn