MANILA, Philippines — Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual is in favor of extending the SIM card registration period, saying it would be a “major concern” if not all SIM cards are registered.
“If we really need registration, we need to be able to accommodate such a deadline. Personally, I will go for it, but I do not know the official position of the concerned department,” Pascual told reporters yesterday at Malacañang.
Asked whether he thought the mass deactivation of unregistered SIM cards would impact on the economy, the trade chief replied: “You mean, if the deadline is imposed and not all SIMS are registered? I think it’s a major concern, especially based on what I commented on earlier.”
“So that has to be evaluated by the telcos and by the concerned agencies in charge of ICT (information and communications technology),”he added.
The deadline for the registration of SIM cards is on April 26. Last Wednesday, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) announced that there would be no extension of the SIM registration.
As of April 14, less than half of the total number of SIM cards have registered with their respective public telecommunications entities, according to the DICT.
Pascual said the registration of SIM cards is “very important” as the country moves towards digital payments.
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said SIM registration would ensure that the benefits provided by the government would go to intended recipients.
Mobile leaders Smart Communications Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc. have asked the government to reconsider its decision to no longer extend SIM registration, as subscribers will lose access to basic services should their mobile numbers be deactivated.
Smart first vice president and head of group corporate communications Cathy Yang said all in all the government just gave subscribers 121 days to register their SIM, whereas some countries took two years to complete their SIM registration. – Elijah Felice Rosales