Over 12% of SIMs registered as of January 15

Over 12% of SIM cards across the country have been registered with telecommunications firms as of January 15, 2023, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) reported Monday.

Citing data from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), the DICT said a total of 20,551,294 SIMs have been registered, translating to 12.16% of the 168.977 million subscribers nationwide.

Broken down, Smart Communications Inc. accounted for 10.041 million SIMs or 14.77% of its 67.995 million subscribers; Globe with 8.764 million SIMs or 9.97% of its 87.873 million subscribers; and DITO with 1.744 million or 13.31% of its 13.108 million subscribers.

The DICT called on subscribers to register ahead of the April 26, 2023 deadline, as it said protection of user data is mandated under the measure.

“SIM Registration is being implemented in conjunction with the Data Privacy Act. Encryption of data is mandatory,” DICT spokesperson Anna Mae Lamentillo said in a statement released to reporters.

“PTEs must ensure that data of end-users are secured, encrypted, and protected at all times,” she added.

The IRR of the SIM Card Registration Act took effect on December 27, mandating all public telecommunications entities (PTEs) to establish their own registration platform where they will onboard users who present valid identification cards. Users are given 180 days to register their SIM cards, else face the risk of having these deactivated.

PTEs earlier said they were all set for the registration process, but birthing pains are expected during the initial stages. The NTC has since ordered them to report any problems encountered by users during the registration.

To register SIM cards, users of DITO Telecommunity Corp. can visit https://dito.ph/registerDITO, Globe Telecom Inc. at https://new.globe.com.ph/simreg, and Smart at https://smart.com.ph/simreg.—AOL, GMA Integrated News