NTC: “Most likely ‘yung ibang SIMs diyan, hindi na ire-register, either one reason or another”
NTC – The National Telecommunications Commission said that it is “not looking” at 100 percent of SIM registration.
The NTC earlier said that there are 168.9 million active SIMs (Subscriber Identity Module) in the Philippines.
On Friday, NTC Deputy Commissioner John Paulo Salvahan said that the agency is not targeting the 100% of SIM registration. Salvahan even cited the experiences of other countries where an average SIM registration only reaches 70% and the rest of unregistered SIMs gets deactivated.
Salvahan said in a televised briefing that around 45% of the total number of active SIMs are currently registered as of April 20, 2023.
“We are not looking at 100 percent registration, most likely yung ibang SIMs diyan, hindi na ire-register, either one reason or another,” Salvahan said. “Yung benchmark, puwede siguro tingnan natin but as of now, wala pang final number na tinitingnan tayo.“
READ ALSO: DTI Supports Call for Extension of Deadline for SIM Card Registration
Salvahan also said that unregistered SIM cards will be automatically deactivated after the April 26 deadline of SIM registration, but this could be reactivated if appealed within five (5) days.
However, the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the SIM Registration Act doesn’t provide a mechanism on how SIM reactivation would be done and what grounds will be considered for it.
Meanwhile, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Alfredo Pascual had said that he supports calls to extend the deadline of SIM registration in the country as this would help in the shift to digital payments.
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