The national government has launched its pilot Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card registration site in the remote area of Masantol, Pampanga and it has “provided valuable insights” to the public, said the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
DICT Undersecretary Anna Mae Lamentillo, in a press statement issued on Tuesday, Jan. 17, said prior to the establishment of the facility, an on-site visit was conducted to determine difficulties that may arise during the pilot SIM registration rollout.
“The DICT is working with agencies and for the implementation of SIM Registration in the country’s remote areas. The first SIM Registration rollout in the remote area of Masantol, Pampanga has provided valuable insights and the public can expect that SIM Registration will reach the country’s far-flung areas,” said Lamentillo.
In a joint briefing with the DICT and National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Margarita Gutierrez said the national government has already identified the geographically-isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA) where registration sites may be mounted, but they still could not provide specific dates on when it would be established as it still needs to be “planned and well-coordinated.”
As of Jan. 16, a total of 21,128,925 SIM cards in the country have been registered. This is equivalent to 12.5 percent of the 168,977,773 existing subscribers nationwide.