Every owner of a subscriber identity module (SIM) card is mandated to register the card in order to mitigate criminal activity using mobile phones. The SIM cards which are unregistered shall be deactivated after the deadline which is 180 days after Dec 27, 2022. This means that the owner has six months from Dec. 27, 2022 to register his/her SIM card.
The telecommunication companies or telcos are the ones mandated by law to provide a platform where people would register their SIM cards. As part of the registration process, the owners of SIM cards need to upload identity documents to the platform. The telcos are ordered to safeguard the information of subscribers encoded in the database during the registration and should only divulge such data upon a lawful order.
The registration of SIM will help authorities curb criminal activities that use cellphones such as scams and bogus job offers.
It will also help stop the number of unsolicited text messages as the owner of the SIM card who sends such unsolicited messages can be identified and traced by the authorities in accordance to the law.
Meanwhile, the secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Benjamin Abalos called on the local government units (LGU) to help in the information drive to encourage people to have their SIM cards registered within 6 months.
Prior to Dec. 27, 2022, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) released the implementing rules and regulations of the SIM card registration act mandating the telecoms companies in the country to facilitate the registration of the SIMs of existing subscribers.