MANILA, PHILIPPINES — On Monday, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said it will ramp up its efforts to encourage subscribers to register their SIM cards before the deadline on April 26, 2023.
Reports of a slowdown in SIM registration began a few weeks after its launch on December 27, 2022. The DICT, along with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), said they expected this lull as well as a spike when the deadline nears.
“We are almost halfway into the implementation of the SIM registration, and we have observed a slowdown in the number of registrants. Although we anticipated this lull, we are compelled to do more,” said DICT Undersecretary Anna Mae Lamentillo.
However, the ICT agency said it will boost its information and education campaigns to see a higher number of registered SIM cards even without the threat of the looming deadline.
The DICT also recommended that telcos set up SIM card registration booths in festivals across the countries, noting how Globe provided SIM registration assistance during the Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo City.
“We are glad that Globe and the other telcos have been using these events as platforms to promote public awareness. It is important that we continue these strategies, alongside other campaigns,” she said.
Lamentillo noted that the information campaigns must focus on three key points:
- SIM registration is mandatory, and failure to register will result in immediate SIM deactivation
- it is a protection against fraud and scams
- public participation is necessary for the law’s success
Other than its partnership with telcos, the DICT and NTC are also working with government agencies such as the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to assist SIM registration at the grassroots level.
“The PSA is coordinating with NTC for the simultaneous capturing of biometrics for the National ID while registering SIM cards, especially in remote areas,” Lamentillo said.
SIM Card Registration: Step-by-Step Guides
Have you registered your SIM yet? Check out the step-by-step guides for different SIMs below:
- STEP BY STEP GUIDE: TM SIM Card Registration for the SIM Card Registration Act
- STEP BY STEP GUIDE: Globe SIM Card Registration for the SIM Card Registration Act
- STEP BY STEP GUIDE: Smart SIM Card Registration for the SIM Card Registration
- STEP BY STEP GUIDE: TNT SIM Card Registration for the SIM Card Registration
- STEP BY STEP GUIDE: DITO SIM Card Registration for the SIM Card Registration Act
– WhatALife!
Also read: Globe, DICT, NTC launch National SIM Registration Week (NSRW)
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