Several regional offices of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) are now offering free assistance for the mandatory Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card registration.
Following the implementation of this, individuals residing in MIMAROPA, CALABARZON, and Region X may now head to the nearest Tech4Ed center to avail of the free assistance, said DICT Undersecretary Anna Mae Lamentillo.
“We have started the roll out in CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, and Region X. Subscribers can bring their mobile phones and valid IDs to the regions’ Tech4Ed Centers for assistance in SIM Registration,” Lamentillo explained on Friday, Jan. 20.
The DICT’s Tech4Ed project aims to establish community e-centers in areas with “minimal to no access” to information, government services, communication, technology, non-formal education, and telehealth among others.
Pursuant to Republic Act No. 11934 of the SIM Registration Act, all new and existing subscribers in the country are required to register their SIMs until April 26, 2023. Failure to comply with the said registration will result in the deactivation of a user’s SIM.
Latest tally from the DICT and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) showed that 22,298,020 cards have already been registered as of Jan. 18. This, however, equates to only 13.20 percent of the 168,977,773 existing subscribers nationwide.