INFORMATION and Communications Secretary Atty. Ivan John Uy on Tuesday said that around 95% to 96% of the subscriber identification module (SIM) card owners that are actually expected to register had already registered.
“As of May 10, 95 million na po, magna-96 million,” Uy said in a radio interview.
Secretary Uy also said that they are expecting to reach the century mark.
“I expect mga 100 million more or less, so mga 95% to 96% na tayo,” Uy said, when asked about the number of SIM registrations to which the DICT is still waiting for to register and the percentage of total registration.
It will be recalled that in April, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) had declared that they are not aiming for a 100% registration of 168 million SIM owners.
Meanwhile, NTC Deputy Commissioner Jon Paolo Salvahan said that based on experiences from other countries that implemented SIM registration, the average percentage of registered subscribers only reach at around 70%.
Earlier, government had extended the April 26, 2023 deadline for 90-days moving it to July 25, 2023.
The SIM Card Registration Act had 180 days to register their SIMs or face the risk of having these deactivated.
According to the latest data from the National Telecommunications Commission, the number of total registered SIMs is now at 95,849,884 out of the 168,016,400 active users or 57.05 percent as of May 14, 2023.
Smart Communications continue to lead the way with 45,360,793 out of the 66,304,761 active users or 68.41 percent.
Globe Telecoms comes next with 44,076,066 of their 86,746,672 or 50.81 percent.
Dito Telecommunity has 6,413,025 of their 14,964,967 or 42.85 percent.
Catherine R. Cueto
