The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is looking at the possibility of extending the SIM Card registration deadline after only 22.26 percent of the total subscribers nationwide have so far registered.
“DICT has the prerogative to extend the SIM registration process for another 120 days. We are still deliberating on the matter,” DICT Undersecretary and spokesperson Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo said.
“We are focused on increasing the number of registrants before the April 26 deadline,” she added.
As of March 6, some 41 million SIMs were registered, representing 24.26 percent of the total subscribers in the country.
Smart Communications Inc. reported a total of 20,882,843 SIMs registered, which is 30.71 percent of its 67,995,734 subscribers.
On the other hand, Globe Telecom Inc. recorded 17,005,201 registered, or 19.35 percent of its 87,873,936 subscribers.
Meanwhile, DITO Telecommunity Corp. reported a total of 3,114,190 SIMs registered, or 23.76 percent of its 13,108,103 subscribers.
SIM registration is vital to the country’s cybersecurity agenda as text scams and fraud have been cut down significantly since its implementation. Completing the registration will protect not only you, but other subscribers as well,” Lamentillo said.
“This is why we urge the public to register their SIM for their convenience and protection,” she added.
The deadline for SIM registration is on April 26, 2023. The period for registration is in compliance with the SIM Registration Act’s implementing rules and regulations issued by the National Telecommunications Commission.