MANILA – The average number of complaints received by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) about the subscriber identity module (SIM) registration process has dropped by almost 50 percent in its second week of implementation.
In a press conference at the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) in Quezon City on Tuesday, DICT Undersecretary Anna Mae Lamentillo said the drop in complaints despite the continued rise in registered SIM cards shows an improvement in the registration process.
“We already have more than 16 million SIMs registered as of Jan. 9, and the number of complaints has significantly dropped from an average of 95 complaints during the first week, down to an average of 47 during the second week,” Lamentillo said.
These complaints were made to the DICT’s 24/7 Complaint Center Hotline 1326 which serves as the public’s direct contact with the DICT in matters relating to information and communications technology (ICT), including SIM registration.
“Most of the concerns were about the SIM registration process, website malfunction or not loading, and where to register. There are also queries about how many SIMs they can register, the deadline for registration, what to do when they enter the wrong details, and concerns about data privacy,” she said.
The complaint center, she said, was launched at the same time as the SIM registration program on Dec. 27, 2022.
“Having this Complaint Center gives us in the DICT and our attached agencies, a clear picture of the concerns of the public so we can relay them to our PTEs (private telecommunications entities) and we are aware if there is already a need to intervene to ensure that we provide end-users an efficient way to register their SIMs,” she said.
She noted that the public may also reach out to the DICT through the hotline for ICT-related matters other than SIM registration.
To date, a total of 16,566,103 SIM cards have so far been registered, or about 9.80 percent of all active SIM cards in the country in September 2022.
Of the three PTEs, Smart has 7,751,502 registered SIM cards or 11.40 percent of its total active users, followed by DITO with 1,468,722 registered or 11.20 percent of its active users, and Globe with 7,345,879 or 8.36 percent of its active users.
“Our aim is to register at least 1 million SIMs every day. Currently, we are on track, but there could be a lull, and then a surge again once we are near the deadline,” she said.
Both the SIM registration program and hotline 136, she said, are tools used by the DICT to help prevent mobile and online fraud and suppress cybercrimes such as human trafficking, online sexual abuse, and exploitation of children.
“The SIM registration is our protection against fraudulent calls, and scams through text messages, and even mobile apps. That is why it is very important that we register all SIMs as soon as possible,” she said. (PNA)
