Globe Telecom appeals for SIM registration extension

GLOBE Telecom, Inc. is appealing for an extension of the subscriber identity module (SIM) registration to give subscribers more time to obtain necessary government IDs, according to a company official.

“We have seen a low registration count primarily due to the lack of valid government IDs, and challenged digital literacy,” Globe Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer Maria Yolanda C. Crisanto said in an e-mailed statement on Tuesday.

“Given these issues, we appeal to the government to extend the SIM registration process to give our customers more time to get their required government IDs and input the required information on our site,” she added.As of 2 p.m. of April 11, Globe has recorded 27.85 million mobile customers in its registration, equivalent to 32% of its total mobile subscriber base.“With just two weeks to go before the April 26 deadline, we have yet to touch at least 50% of total registrations — other telcos similarly situated based on the latest available data,” said Ms. Crisanto.

Ms. Crisanto also appealed for the government’s backing on alternative forms of identifications, conditional registration, and creation of always-on government handled assisted registration.

Under these requests, company and school IDs and barangay certificates will be accepted as a form of identification for those who do not have valid government-issued IDs, while the conditional registration will allow individuals to continue to use network services within a reasonable period while they work to get a valid ID.

“Globe is working closely with the National Telecommunications Commission, relevant government agencies and other stakeholders in ensuring that we register as many subscribers as possible before the April 26 deadline,” Ms. Crisanto said.

At the same time, Globe announced the deployment of 180 SIM registration booths across 72 provinces.

The assistance desks are said to help those subscribers who are using basic phones or phones limited to call and text capability as SIM registration is done online.

Meanwhile, PLDT, Inc.’s wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. said it saw a surge in SIM registration during the Lenten break.

“Over the past nine days, we have seen a surge in registrations, averaging 400,000 daily, from the usual 200,000 to 300,000 in previous months,” said Catherine Y. Yang, first vice-president and group head of PLDT and Smart.

“This to us reveals there are a lot of last-minute registrations taking place, so we are hopeful we’d get to stay on this increasing trend as the deadline nears,” she added.

In the data provided by the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the total number of SIMs registered as of April 10 is at 65.15 million this is 38.79% of the total 168.98 million subscribers nationwide.

This shows a 13.94% increase from the 57.18 million registered SIMs as of April 2, or before the start of the Holy Week.

Of the total registered SIMs, 32.48 million are from Smart, 27.83 million from Globe, and 4.89 million from DITO Telecommunity Corp.

Republic Act 11934 or the SIM Registration Act requires all SIM users to register their SIMs under their name until April 26, or risk SIM deactivation.

The law aims to help mitigate the proliferation of text scams and other mobile phone-aided criminal activities. — Justine Irish D. Tabile