With just five (05) days before the 26 April 2023 deadline to register your existing Philippine-based telecoms SIM Cards, what could possibly go wrong after this cutoff point? For one, are you done registering your SIM Cards?
Signed into law last 10 October 2022, Republic Act (RA) 11934 [an Act Requiring the Registration of Subcriber Indentity Module] mandates the registration of all SIM Cards used in mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. This legislation is designed to prevent the use of unregistered SIM Cards in criminal activities like terrorism, kidnapping, and fraud (as the lawmakers hoped).
Under this SIM Card Registration Law, telecommunications companies are required to verify the identity of each individual who purchases or uses a SIM card. This includes the collection of personal information such as full name, address, and valid government-issued ID number. I personally doubt that Philippine telcos have the capability to verify the veracity of information, more particularly the ID cards submitted by their subscribers.
According to the law, the collected information is kept confidential, secure, and is only used for the purpose of SIM card registration. Telecommunications companies are also required to maintain an accurate and up-to-date database of their subscribers and make it available to law enforcement agencies upon request.
Upon the release of the law’s Implementing Rules & Regulations (IRR), all prepaid SIM Cards purchased in the Philippines are deactivated by default. A few days ago, I tried to purchase a prepaid SIM Card from a convenience store for use with an old Pocket WiFi device. To my surprise, the SIM Card is already active (got a telco signal when I inserted it into the device!) but I was not able to transfer the prepaid load to it (so that I may subscribe to an Internet access sachet) until I register on the telco’s website.
Going back to my first question “what could possibly go wrong after this cutoff point?” imagine losing access to your online banking accounts and mobile wallets simply because your telco inadvertently deactivated your mobile number even if you are done with the SIM Card Registration process.
Under the law’s IRR, Public Telecommunications Entities (PTEs; telcos) can be fined for failure or refusal to register a SIM Card. Please take note that the fine will go to the Philippine government and not to the subscriber who may have filed the complaint. However, there is no mention of the PTE’s liability in case of negligence if ever they erroneously deactivated a subscriber’s SIM Card, which is actually registered before the deadline.
Imagine the hassle of not having access to your mobile number, thus you are unable to transact online. As an individual, you may, however, file for a civil case against your telco if this happens to you.
What’s the Basis with All the SIM Card Stats?
Several news outlets posting oddly made graphs depicting the total number of SIM Cards registered vis-a-vis the total number of subscribers per telco for weeks now, I have this question: What was the basis for all the SIM Card statistics?
Are Philippine-based telcos counting the total number of their Active Subscribers or are they just adding up the Total Number of SIM Cards Sold from time immemorial?
What To Do When Your Telco Deactivates Your SIM Card?
Based on RA 11934’s IRR, all unregistered (existing) SIM Cards will be deactivated after the 26 April 2023 deadline. Subscribers are given five (05) days to comply with this law otherwise they will lose ownership of the number attached to the SIM Card forever.
Perhaps we can ask telcos in the Philippines what is the existing rule when it comes to SIM Card (or mobile phone number) recycling. Given that some may still miss the deadline, many weeks or months will it take before these telcos will assign the deactivated numbers to their new subscribers?
Will the DICT Extend the Deadline?
With less than a week before the ultimatum set by the legislation’s IRR, the million peso question now is “Will the DICT extend the deadline?”.
Last 19 April 23, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) issued the following statement on their Facebook page:
𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐓 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐈𝐌 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐝 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has received and acknowledged the request of Public Telecommunication Entities (PTEs) to extend the SIM registration period pursuant to Republic Act 11934 or the SIM Registration Act. However, at this point, there is no extension of SIM registration. With the 26 April 2023 registration deadline drawing near, we encourage everyone to register to promote the responsible use of SIMs and provide law enforcement agencies the necessary tools to crack down on perpetrators who use SIMs for their crimes, consistent with the declared policy of the law. Also, the DICT reminds the public that non-registration will result in the deactivation of their SIMs and eSIMs, barring them from receiving and sending calls and text messages and accessing mobile applications and digital wallets. The DICT reiterates that the SIM Registration Act places primacy on the fundamental rights of Filipinos and is replete with safeguards to ensure the confidentiality and security of user data. The DICT is one with PTEs in ensuring that Filipinos can enjoy safe and secure mobile phone services through the holistic implementation of the SIM Registration Act.
Personally, I see this act of the DICT as more of a “macho-gwapito” (LOL!) move to try to scare the citizenry into complying with the SIM Card Registration deadline. Let’s see if they will stick with the deadline by next week…
How to Check if Your SIM Card is Registered Already?
If you are unsure if your SIM Card is already registered, I suggest that you log in with your telco’s mobile app and check for yourself.
The only problem with the above is in cases wherein you do not have a smartphone device or have access to an Internet connection. In that case, you may opt to register again — and your telco will tell you that you are registered already.
Had you registered your SIM Card already? I have this poll via Twitter: