The registration of subscriber identity module (SIM) cards must be a convenient, secure, and easy experience for mobile phone owners.
Senator Grace Poe made this call to the government as well as telecommunication companies (telcos) Monday, Dec. 26, or one day ahead of the start of SIM card registration as mandated by Republic Act (RA) No.11934.
"The SIM registration should be as easy as texting or sending a message," Poe said.
She enjoined telcos, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), key regulators and other concerned agencies to see to it that all hands are on deck for the orderly and effective rollout of the law.
"Telcos should have portals for registration that are user-friendly and secure to encourage mobile users to enlist without hassle and interruption of services," said the principal author and sponsor of the SIM Registration Act.
Poe, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Services, said that the system should also provide the means to register for people in need of assistance such as persons with disabilities, senior citizens, minors, pregnant and those without internet connection.
A massive and constant information drive should also be undertaken to encourage subscribers to register their SIM and to assure them of the safety of their data, the lady senator added.
Signed into law in October 2022, RA No. 11934 or the SIM Registration Act is one way to fight scams done through text and online messages, which have become more prevalent in recent years.
The rules require all mobile subscribers to enroll their SIMs, including eSIMs, within 180 days from the effectivity of the IRR or face deactivation. The registration may be extended for a period not exceeding 120 days.
The SIM of those who will not register within the given period will be deactivated. The SIM may be reactivated only after registering, but not later than five days after deactivation.
For existing subscribers, the telcos are tasked to include their information and data in the SIM register. To complete the registration, postpaid subscribers must confirm their information and data in the SIM register through the telcos' platform.
SIM registration will be done electronically through a secure platform or website provided by the telcos.
The law's implementing rules and regulations (IRR) state that those who will provide false or fictitious information to register a SIM will face imprisonment or a fine.
"We can reap the SIM registration law's full potential with an effective implementation, and we must do it together as a nation," Poe said.