April 26 Deadline For SIM Registration Is Law – DICT, NTC

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) jointly said on Monday, Jan. 16, that the April 26 deadline for the registration of all subscriber identity module cards was the timeline set by the SIM Card Registration Law.

The two agencies said there was no movement or adjustment made that set the deadline on April 26.

The deadline is in line with provisions of Republic Act No. 11934, or the SIM Registration Act, which states that “all existing SIM subscribers shall register the same with their respective PTEs (Public Telecommunications Entity, also known as the telecom operator) within 180 days from the effectivity of this Act,” the DICT and NTC said.

It noted that the law also provided that “the Act shall take effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.”

“The law was signed on Oct. 10, 2022. It was thereafter published in the website of the Official Gazette on Oct. 12, 2022, and in the Oct. 13, 2022 issue of the Daily Tribune. It therefore took effect 15 days after such publication, or no later than Oct. 28, 2022,” the agencies said.

While the DICT may extend the registration for another 120 days, the aim is to finish the registration within the original deadline.

ICT Undersecretary for public affairs and foreign relations Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo recently said that the DICT has the option to extend the deadline to as long as 120 days.

Lamentillo encouraged the public to register now and not wait for the deadline. She also said the law ensures the protection of data that subscribers will provide during registration.

“SIM registration is being implemented in conjunction with the Data Privacy Act. Encryption of data is mandatory. Under the law, PTEs must ensure that data of end-users are secured, encrypted and protected at all times,” she said.

The DICT said that as of Jan. 15, there are 20.5 million registered SIMs.

As of 11:59 p.m. Sunday night, Jan. 15, 20,551,294 SIMs were registered based on data provided by the NTC. The total, DICT noted, was 12.16 percent of the 168,977,773 million subscribers nationwide.

Smart Communications Inc. reported a total of 10,041,791 SIMs registered, which is 14.77 percent of Smart’s 67,995,734 subscribers.

Globe Telecom Inc. recorded 8,764,568 SIMs registered or 9.97 percent of its 87,873,936 subscribers.

Meanwhile, DITO Telecommunity Corp. reported a total of 1,744,935 SIMs registered, or 13.31 percent of its 13,108,103 subscribers.

No extension for now

DICT and NTC said that they will stand by the April 26 deadline for SIM registration as prescribed by law.

Albay Rep. Joey Salceda claimed that SIM registration should last until June 27, saying that the 180-day count should begin on Dec. 27, 2022, the first day of the procedure.

Salceda asked the DICT to be considerate with their deadline setting, especially as about three million Filipinos, mostly residing in remote areas, don’t even own a smartphone.

Likewise, Salceda said at least 1.3 million youth who own a smartphone can only connect to the internet through sachet-sized data promos. The lawmaker warned that deactivating their mobile numbers as punishment for failure to register would affect their studies.

The DICT and NTC, for their part, said facilitated registration will begin in remote areas soon. At present, the agencies are working with telco providers to finalize the procedure for signing up subscribers in far-flung locations where connectivity is weak or non-existent.

“The guidelines for the rollout of SIM registration in remote areas are being finalized and will be released soon,” the DICT and NTC announced. – With Elijah Felice Rosales