SIMs registered now at 61.94% of 168M subscriber base —NTC

The number of registered mobile phone subscriber identification modules (SIMs) is now at over 104 million, days before the expiration of the extended SIM registration deadline on July 25, 2023.

Data from the National Telecommunications Commission’s SIM registration update showed that a total of 104,076,843 SIMs had been registered as of July 19, 2023.

This accounts for 61.94% of the total 168,016,400 subscriber base.

Broken down, the 104.076 million registered SIMs are composed of 49.2 million Smart subscribers, accounting for 74.20% of the company’s total 66.304 million subscriber base.

Globe followed with 47.47 million registered SIMs or 54.73% of its 86.746 million total subscribers.

DITO Telecommunity’s registered subscribers, meanwhile, reached 7.4 million or 49.54% of its 14.964 million total customers.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) stood firm on the deadline, saying there will be no more extension and those with unregistered SIMs will immediately lose connection at 12:01 a.m. on July 26. 

Despite the deactivation of unregistered SIMs a day after the deadline, the DICT said a five-day grace period for reactivation of the disconnected SIMs will be allowed.

In April, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. approved a 90-day extension of the SIM registration period until July 25 from the original deadline of April 26.

The DICT earlier said it will gradually deactivate some SIM services, such as access to social media accounts and the ability to make outgoing calls, as the 90-day additional registration period moves forward.

The DICT was also looking to register 70% of the total subscriber base.

The implementing rules and regulations of the SIM Card Registration Act took effect on December 27, 2022, after the measure was signed into law by Marcos in October last year.

The SIM Registration Act seeks to end crimes using the platform, including text and online scams, by regulating the sale and use of SIMs through mandating registration to end-users.

The law mandates all telcos to submit a verified list of their authorized dealers and agents nationwide to the NTC and an updated list of the same every quarter of each year. —VAL, GMA Integrated News