Telcos appeal to extend SIM registration

MANILA, Philippines — Mobile communications leaders Smart Communications Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc. are asking the government to extend the April 26 deadline for the subscriber identity module (SIM) registration, as none of them have reached half of their user bases yet.

Smart yesterday sent a formal request to the Department of Information and Communications (DICT) and National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) seeking the extension of SIM registration.

Smart first vice president and head of group corporate communications Cathy Yang said the firm hopes the government can give subscribers additional time to sign up their mobile numbers.

Smart leads all telco players in terms of the number of customers who have enlisted their SIM cards. In spite of this, Yang said the DICT and NTC have to consider the issues faced by subscribers in accessing the internet and completing their registration.

She added that extending the deadline would provide marginalized sectors in isolated areas, where cellular signal is weak, the extra time to register.

Smart expressed belief that an extension will also give individuals with incomplete requirements to secure a government identification to accomplish their registration.

Similarly, Ayala-led Globe admitted that it has yet to touch the halfway mark with just a few days left before the April 26 deadline.

Like Smart, Globe expressed belief that several customers lack the necessary ID to confirm their identities, while some face challenges accessing the internet to process their registration.

“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 onto our site,” Globe said.

Once extended, Globe wants the DICT and the NTC to allow alternative forms of IDs, like barangay clearance, company ID and school ID. The mobile giant also expressed hope that authorities will permit conditional registration, where subscribers can keep using their telco services as they obtain a valid ID.

Globe reminded the government that deactivating a SIM will curtail the right of an individual to communicate, denying them access to basic services.

It said shutting down a SIM would affect the online accounts of a subscriber in banking, e-commerce, education and transportation.

On the other hand, Dito Telecommunity Corp. has yet to issue a position on whether it supports the extension of SIM registration beyond April 26.

As of April 10, telco providers have registered 65.15 million, or 39 percent, of the 168.02 million SIMs in circulation, with Smart covering 49 percent of its customers, ahead of Dito’s 33 percent and Globe’s 32 percent.