According to the Philippine government, only 36.79% of SIM cards had been registered before the strict April deadline, after which unregistered SIMs are to be deactivated.
According to a statement from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), only 62,170,268 out of 168,977,773 SIM cards had been registered by mobile operators Globe Telecom, Smart and Dito Telecommunity as of April 7.
DICT said unregistered SIM cards would lose access to regular service, making them useless for voice calls, text messages and data services. There would be no deadline extension, the regulator stressed.
Although current registration efforts have been “encouraging,” DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy urged people to “maintain momentum.”
Uy also stated, “While the progress in SIM card registration has been encouraging, we must not lose momentum. As we celebrate Easter Sunday, we urge all unregistered citizens to take this opportunity to register their SIMs.
“It is crucial to take immediate action to prevent the inconvenience of deactivation. Together, let us strive for a more connected and secure Philippines,” he added.
According to DICT, approximately 30 million SIM cards, or about 17.76% of all subscribers, were registered in February. As the Philippines gradually became a more connected country, the government of the Philippines implemented its SIM registration law to combat hackers and online fraud.
