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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider 1st Day SIM registration blues

1st Day SIM registration blues

Published Dec 28, 2022 12:23 pm

Early registrants of SIM cards grumbled about bad gateways and glitches on the first day the process was launched yesterday, Dec. 27.

Significantly, DITO does not seem to be having as much problems as the former duopoly of Globe Telecom Inc. and Smart Communications Inc. because DITO users are registering directly in the DITO app.

The newest telco, does not have as much to deal with yet, with subscribers numbering 15 million, versus Globe's 87.9 million and Smart's 68 million.

"While the telco can't cite the exact numbers of SIM registrant complaints, so far, "DITO SIM reg is via the DITO app direct so we don't have as much problems," executives confirmed.

As of 7AM, Wednesday, Dec. 28, DITO reported over 400,000 successful SIM registrants, stated Atty. Adel Tamano, Chief Administrative Officer.

"Based on our internal tests, it takes an average of four minutes to complete the process," he noted.

Last night (Dec. 27, 2022, 8 p.m.), Globe apologized to mobile customers who tried to register their SIMs on day one after its site went offline, several hours after going live.

"We discovered potential minor vulnerabilities in our microsite that require careful patching to prevent any serious threat to customer data."

"This happened despite all the preparation, technical tests and due diligence we have conducted," the telco stated.

Globe yesterday informed the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) about the issue on its SIM registration portal, new.globe.com.ph/simreg.

Globe has requested the NTC for a maximum of 72 hours from today, Dec. 28, to observe its SIM registration portal to ensure all patches made are technically stable.

Prior to this, Globe's SIM registration portal went live early Tuesday morning and at least 20,000 customers were able to register between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m.

"Globe takes full responsibility for the actions it has taken and is prepared to accept any regulatory penalty if merited, in order to prioritize the protection of its customers' data."

Globe has been preparing for the implementation of the SIM Registration Law but had to recalibrate its system within just 15 days given the release of new guidelines under the implementing rules and regulations (IRR), including the verification step through a selfie.

The IRR was released on Dec. 12, 2022.

"We’d also like to remind our customers that there is enough time to register,” assured Yoly Crisanto, Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications of the Globe Group.

All Globe Prepaid, TM, Globe At Home Prepaid WiFi, Globe Mobile WiFi and Globe Business prepaid customers have until April 26, 2023 to register.

"For new SIM users, they may visit the site within the next 72 hours, as we implement our system fixes," according to the telco's latest advisory.

Registration via the Globe One app will begin by January 2023, while on-site assisted registration will start in February 2023 for Globe customers facing challenges using digital or online platforms, using feature or basic phones, or have no internet access.

Smart's subscribers also experienced difficulties in accessing the telco's SIM registration site and were confronted with a "bad gateway" message.

Smart announced its technical team is boosting its capacity to cope with the high volume of registrants.

Initially, all three telcos were confident their systems can handle the close to 200 million SIM users expected to register to comply with the law.

It's “All systems go for the SIM registration. It will only take three minutes to register,” Cathy Yang, PLDT and Smart Corporate Communications first vice president and group head, announced earlier.

However, in an advisory later posted on its Facebook page, Smart conceded users are encountering problems accessing its registration site due to sheer volume.

Related Tags

DITO Telecommunity SMART COMMUNICATIONS INC DAY 1 SIM REGISTRATION SIM REGISTRATION CHAOS Globe Telecom
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