DICT eyes extending SIM card registration deadline

MANILA, Philippines —  An extension of the April 26 deadline for SIM registration may become necessary with only 25 percent of subscribers so far enlisted, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said.

Information Undersecretary Anna Mae Lamentillo yesterday said the DICT may have to extend the deadline for subscribers who have yet to register their SIM.

“The DICT is looking at the possibility of an extension,” Lamentillo said. “The DICT has the prerogative to extend the SIM registration process for another 120 days and we’re still deliberating on the matter. Now we’re focused on increasing the number of registrants before the April 26 deadline.”

As of March 7, the NTC reported that just 24.54 percent, or 41.47 million, of the 169.98 million SIMs across the Philippines were registered with their telco providers. With less than 50 days to go before April 26, the government has to register roughly three million a day to meet the initial deadline.

By network, Pangilinan-led Smart Communications has registered 31 percent, or 21.12 million, of its user base estimated at 68 million.

After Smart, Dennis Uy’s Dito Telecommunity Corp. has enlisted 24 percent of its 13.11 million subscribers, while Ayala-led Globe Telecom Inc. has registered a fifth of its 87.87 million users.

In January the government denied its option of extending the April 26 deadline on optimism that it can reach the goal of registering everyone by then.

Under the law, the DICT may extend the SIM registration by at least 120 days. Afterward, users who have yet to register will have their mobile numbers deactivated and may only be reactivated upon signing up with their telco provider.

Republic Act 11934, or the SIM Card Registration Act, requires all existing subscribers to enlist their mobile numbers with their service network. The policy seeks to eliminate the prevalence of digital fraud given that all SIMs can soon be tracked by the government.

?Telco players, for their part, are instructed to deactivate all SIMs that would be sold to the public upon approval of the law.

They are also coordinating with the government, both local and national, in registering the SIMs of their subscribers who reside in areas with weak to no connectivity. – Rainier Allan Ronda