SIM card registration hits 62 million

MANILA, Philippines — More Filipinos registered their subscriber identity module (SIM) cards during the Holy Week, with the total number of subscribers reaching over 62 million.

Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo, Department of Information and Communications Technology ((DICT) undersecretary for public affairs and foreign relations, said as of April 7, Good Friday, the total registered SIM cards reached 62,170,268.

Of the number, 4,711,456 registered with Dito Telecommunity; 26,348,304 with Globe Telecom; and 31,110,508, Smart Communications.

The number, however, is around 36.79 percent of the total 168,977,773 SIM cards sold nationwide as tallied by the DICT.

The department said the Big 3 telecommunication companies are now preparing for a scenario of subscribers rushing to register on April 26, the deadline for SIM card registration.

Under the SIM Card Registration Law, failure to register before the deadline will result in deactivation, rendering SIM cards unusable for voice calls, text messaging and mobile data services.

The law is part of government efforts to improve national security and curb fraudulent activities such as scams and identity theft.

However, the government may extend the deadline up to 120 days.