MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) made clear that although the SIM Registration Act permits a total of 120 days for possible extensions on the registration, the July 26, 2023 deadline is final.
The recent extension was decided on by the government amid the clamor from Telecommunication companies (TELCOS) to add more days for more subscribers to enroll, attributing the mobile phone users’ failure to register the SIM to the lack of valid government-issued Identification.
An Inquirer.net report quoted NTC Deputy Commissioner Jon Paulo Salvahan when asked about the possibility of a second extension on the SIM registration period.
“Based on the [Cabinet] discussion po, hindi na po. That will be the final extension po, ‘yung 90-day period po na extension,” the commissioner said.
“Yes, it is mandated po by law that for those subscribers that failed to register within the deadline, their SIMs will be automatically deactivated,” he added.
Salvahan urged the public to register and reminded them that the deadline expires on July 26, 90 days after the given extension. Unregistered SIM cards will automatically be deactivated.
The deactivation would mean loss of access to text and call services and E-wallets, among other features and applications.
Rationale for SIM card registration extension
Commissioner Salvahan emphasized that the extension was implemented to resolve problems on government-ID matters and digital literacy on the part of the subscribers.
“By giving them this 90-day period of extension, they will be able to secure those necessary IDs and address all other concerns, like ‘yung they are not really that tech-savvy or literate in registering. So ito po, may chance po sila to address these issues,” he said.
Salvahan also stated that only 87.4 million, or 52% of active SIM users, have registered their cards as of April 24, but with the extension, the NTC realistically anticipates 110 million active SIM users registered when the extension expires. – WhatALife! Anthony
Also read: SIM Card Registration Deadline Extended up to 90 days
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