DICT: SIM card registration hits 30 million

MANILA, Philippines — Nearly a fifth of subscriber identity module or SIM cards nationwide have been registered, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) reported yesterday.

Citing records provided by public telecommunication entities, the DICT said 30.01 million SIM cards had been registered as of Feb. 7.

The numbers represent 17.76 percent of the 168.978 million SIM cards nationwide.

“We are seeing good progress in terms of registered subscribers... We look forward to how this will translate to a safer and more secure digital communications in the coming days,” DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy said in a statement.

Smart Communications Inc. reported that 15.475 million SIM cards or 22.76 percent of the 67.9 million in its network had been registered.

Globe Telecom Inc. said 12.2 million SIM cards or 13.89 percent of the 87.8 million in its network had been registered.

Dito Telecommunity Corp. said 17.79 percent or 2.3 million of its 13.1 million subscribers had registered their SIM cards.

The DICT said there would be a SIM registration rollout in 15 remote areas in the provinces.

“The SIM registration in remote areas is intended to ensure that we are reaching out in areas with limited telecommunication or internet access to assist them in registering their SIMs,” DICT spokesperson and Undersecretary Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo said.

She said the DICT’s free Wi-Fi sites would serve as hubs for SIM registration in these areas.