NEW SIM. A shop attendant assists a customer who bought a SIM card at a mobile phone and accessories store in Farmers Plaza, Quezon City on Tuesday (Oct. 11, 2022). Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy said the newly-signed SIM registration law will affect SIM cards from local telecommunications companies, including those using their roaming services overseas. (PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler)
MANILA – SIM cards from the country’s three telecommunications companies (telcos), including roaming SIM cards used overseas, will be required to register as part of the recently approved SIM card registration law, an official of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said Wednesday.
In a press briefing in Malacañang, DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy said SIM cards connected to Globe Telecom Inc., Smart Communications Inc., and DITO Telecommunity are included and will be notified of the necessary steps once the registration process begins.
“If they are out of the country, they will receive a text message from the telcos themselves, ‘please go to this site or open the app,’” Uy said.
Most of the country’s telcos, he said, have existing mobile applications they can use to sign in and verify their identity.
However, he said some are currently limited to asking for a user’s name and date of birth and will be later expanded to include other personal details as part of the SIM registration law.
“Kukunan mo ng picture iyong ID mo o passport or LTO (Land Transportation Office) license or whatever government-issued ID and then i-upload doon (You’ll have to take a photo of your ID, passport, LTO license, or whatever government-issued ID and have it uploaded),” he said.
The telcos, he said, will verify these submitted IDs to complete the registration.
On Monday, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act No. 11934, also known as An Act Requiring the Registration of SIM Cards in a ceremony in Malacañan Palace.
Following its passage, the country’s three telcos announced their readiness to comply with the law and noted its importance in curbing text scams and spams plaguing mobile users. (PNA)
