The recommendation of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for the 90-day extension of SIM Card Registration was approved by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. during the Sectoral Meeting on April 25, 2023.
The said extension is the last chance for telco subscribers to register their SIM Cards because the Republic Act 11934 or the SIM Card Registration Law clearly states that the DICT may only extend the registration for a period not exceeding one hundred twenty (120) days.
The DICT and the Telecommunication Companies are also exploring options to ‘incentivize’ SIM Card Registration. One of the said options is the gradual reduction of services. For a certain period during the 90-day extension, the Telcos will deactivate some services such as access to social media accounts who have not yet registered their SIM cards. After the 90-day period, unregistered SIM subscribers will “lose completely all services to their SIM card.”
The DICT reiterates that failure to register a SIM card shall result in the automatic deactivation of their SIM cards. The user will lose all mobile services such as the usage of numbers, making and receiving calls and texts, and accessing e-wallets and other financial services that are linked to their SIM cards.
The government implements SIM Card Registration to provide accountability for those using SIM cards, aid law enforcement in tracking crimes committed through text, online messages, and calls, and protect the public from scams.
As of December 2022, there are already more than 82 million SIMs registered, or 49.31% of the total 168,016,400 active SIMs in the Philippines.
The government continues to encourage everyone to take this chance to register their SIMs and be part of reshaping the telecommunications industry in the country. (MGR – PIA CPSD)
