NTC exec not expecting 100 percent SIM registration

MANILA, Philippines — The government is not aiming to have a 100 percent registration of SIMs nationwide, an official of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said yesterday.

This developed as the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said yesterday that over 75.5 million subscriber identity module cards have been registered so far.

The DICT said that as of April 19, a total of 75,564,837 SIMs were registered by subscribers with their respective Public Telecommunication Entities (PTEs).

This includes those from DITO (5,468,039), Globe (33,067,910) and Smart (37,028,888), representing 44.97 percent of the total 168,977,773 SIMs subscribers nationwide.

“We’re not looking at 100 percent SIM registration, most likely some of the SIMs won’t be registered for one reason or another,” NTC Deputy Commissioner Jon Paolo Salvahan said during PTV’s public briefing.

Citing experiences from other countries that implemented SIM registration, Salvahan said the average percentage of registered subscribers is 70 percent. He said the Philippines can make that a benchmark, but “as of now, we still don’t have a final number.”

The DICT earlier announced that it has received and acknowledged the request of PTEs to extend the SIM registration period pursuant to Republic Act 11934 or the SIM registration Act. However, the DICT said that there is no extension of SIM registration.

“With the April 26, 2023 registration deadline drawing near, we encourage everyone to register to promote the responsible use of SIMs and provide law enforcement agencies the necessary tools to crack down on perpetrators who use SIMs for their crimes, consistent with the declared policy of the law,” the DICT said.

The DICT also reminded the public that non-registration will result in the deactivation of their SIMs, barring them from receiving and sending calls and text messages and accessing mobile applications and digital wallets.

“The DICT is one with PTEs in ensuring that Filipinos can enjoy safe and secure mobile phone services through the holistic implementation of the SIM registration act,” the DICT added.

Telcos Smart and Globe have reiterated their call of the DICT to extend the SIM registration deadline, to give more time for their subscribers to secure valid IDS required to have a successful registration. Failure to register will result in the deactivation of SIMs.

Salvahan, however, said the SIM Registration law and its implementing rules “provide a way to have the SIMs reactivated within five days from automatic deactivation.”

Under the SIM Card Registration Act, signed into law in October 2022, those who have SIMs have 180 days from effectivity of the law to register their numbers, or until April 26, 2023.