DICT says SIM card registration rate at 23.97%

Nearly 24% of all the SIMs across the country have been registered with their respective public telecommunications entities (PTEs) with 51 days left before the deadline, government data released Monday showed.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said a total of 40,498,324 SIMs were registered as of 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 5, equivalent to 23.97% of the 168,977,773 subscribers nationwide.

The latest figure is consolidated from data reported by local PTEs Smart Communications Inc., Globe Telecom Inc., and DITO Telecommunity Corp.

“SIM Registration deadline is still on April 26, 2023, which means we still have 51 days,” DICT Undersecretary and spokesperson Anna Mae Lamentillo said in a statement.

“We are encouraging subscribers and end-users of our local PTEs to register as the deadline is fast approaching. To avoid user traffic and to ensure a hassle free process, registering as soon as possible is a must,” she added.

Under the SIM Card Registration Act, all PTEs are mandated to establish their respective registration platforms to onboard users who present valid identification cards.

Users are given 180 days or until April 26, 2023 to register their SIM cards, else face the risk of having these deactivated.

The implementing rules and regulations of the SIM Card Registration Act took effect on December 27, after the measure was signed into law by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. last October.

PTEs had said they were all set for the registration process, but birthing pains are expected during the initial stages.

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has since ordered them to report any problems encountered by users during the registration. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/RSJ, GMA Integrated News