By Justine Irish D. Tabile, Reporter
THE number of registered subscriber identity modules or SIM cards reached 105.92 million on Monday, a day before the July 25 deadline, data from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) showed.
“Such number is well within the target of between 100 million to 110 million registered SIMs come deadline, especially considering the report from the public telecommunication entities that almost all of their SIMs with active users have already registered,” the NTC said in a statement on Tuesday.
It added that there will “no longer be any further extension in the deadline to register active SIMs.”
The total number of registered users as of July 23 represents 63.04% of the total 168.02 million subscribers across the three public telecommunication entities.
Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan John E. Uy told reporters on Tuesday that he was satisfied with the registration numbers.
“We are very satisfied with the 105.92 million as we have a population of 110 million, I think we actually did better than any other countries comparatively.”
“So, reminder, [it is the] last chance for you to register your SIM cards up to midnight tonight. After that you will no longer be able to use your SIM cards and it is going to be a more tedious process if you need to reactivate those SIM cards,” he added.
Previously, Mr. Uy said that all unregistered users by 00:01 of July 26 will have their SIMs automatically deactivated. But he added that the DICT will be following the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the SIM Registration Act.
Rule II Section 5 of the IRR states that “the deactivated SIM may only be reactivated after registration; provided, however, that reactivation shall be made not later than five days after such automatic deactivation.”
Catherine Y. Yang, first vice-president and group head of PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications, Inc. corporate communications, said that SIM registration is part of the group’s customer protection advocacy.
“The SIM Registration Act aims to deter illegal activities and crimes aided by mobile technology. It is also in line with PLDT and Smart’s cybersecurity and data privacy efforts, part of our customer protection advocacy,” she said.
“So, in the final hours of the SIM registration campaign, we encourage all those who have not registered yet to please do so now and avoid inconvenience and SIM deactivation,” she added.
In total, Smart has been able to register 49.99 million subscribers as of Monday, which represents 75.39% of its 66.3 million total subscribers.
Meanwhile, Globe Telecom, Inc. said that its Globe, TM, and Globe At Home Prepaid WiFi users who missed the deadline will already feel the impact of non-compliance, with their outgoing services and incoming calls deactivated.
“Globe recognizes the essential role of uninterrupted mobile and broadband services in our customers’ daily lives,” said Ernest L. Cu, president and chief executive officer of Globe.
“Our team is committed to assisting our customers who need help. We strongly urge everyone to seize this opportunity to avoid any inconvenience,” he added.
The network also stressed that the failure to reactivate during the five-day grace period will lead to permanent SIM deactivation.
“As a consequence, all services, including incoming and outgoing text messages, calls, and mobile data connectivity will no longer be available. This may also impact access to active mobile applications, including banking, transport, and other apps crucial for daily needs,” it added.
Globe has also warned that all remaining load balances and promo registration on unregistered SIMs will be forfeited by July 31.
As of July 24, Globe has recorded 48.38 million registrants or 55.77% of its 86.75 million total subscribers, while DITO Telecommunity Corp. registered 7.55 million or 50.44% of its 14.96 million total subscribers.
Mr. Uy said that the DICT is expecting a surge of registrants on the last day of registration: “We have been experiencing a surge in the last two days, just like the previous deadline where we had a huge surge of SIM card registration.