DICT chief Ivan Uy said that SIM card sales went down amidst mandatory SIM registration
SIM REGISTRATION – The Secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said that SIM card sales have dropped because of the implementation of mandatory SIM (subscriber identity module) registration.
Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan Uy said that fewer SIMs will be sold in the market after the SIM registration period ends.
In a Palace press briefing on Tuesday, Uy said that the number of SIM cards being sold in the market has dropped following the implementation of Republic Act No. 11934 or the “SIM Registration Act”.
According to the DICT chief, the SIM card sales went down because syndicates and scammers knew that they could no longer buy and throw SIMs.
“Since nag-announce tayo nito, bumagsak ang bentahan ng SIM Cards dahil dati itong mga scammers, itong mga sindikato, bili nang bili ng SIM card tapos tapon,” Uy said. “Ngayon alam nilang ‘di na nila magagawa ‘yun so bumagsak ang bentahan ng SIM cards, which we anticipated that will happen.”
Earlier, the DICT said that more than 12% of SIMs across the Philippines have been registered with telecommunications companies as of January 15, 2023.
READ ALSO: DICT Warns Public vs Stolen and Preregistered SIMs
Last January 19, DICT Undersecretary Anna Mae Lamentillo said that selling and buying stolen and preregistered SIMs is prohibited by the law and is punishable not only with fines but also imprisonment.
According to Lamentillo, scammers may use stolen and preregistered SIMs in tricking mobile phone users. She added that scammers may also use “spoofing” and fake websites that are pretending to be part of the SIM card registration process.
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