The Philippines reported operators have signed up over 30 million SIM cards in days since the introduction of the SIM card registration law to combat hackers and fraudulent activity.
In a statement, the Department of Information and Technology (DICT) detailed the figure is 17.76% of 168.9 million subscribers nationwide.
PLDT subsidiary Smart Communications reported to the regulator 15.4 million customers registered their SIM cards which is almost a quarter (22.76%) of its subscriber base. Globe Telecom recorded 12.2 million SIM cards which accounts for 13.89% of its 87.8 million customer base. Meanwhile, DITO Telecommunity reported 2.3 million registered SIM cards or 17.79% of its 13.1 million of its subscribers.
DICT secretary Ivan John Uy said: “We are seeing good progress in terms of the registered subscribers, and we look forward to how this will translate to a safer and more secure digital communications in the coming days.”
DICT is also collaborating with the National Telecommunications Commission to register SIM cards in 15 remote regions.
The Philippines ratified its SIM registration law this month and had seen support from operators. The country has a massive fraud problem stemming from scam text messages and phone calls, which prompted operators to beef up security systems. Globe Telecom reported it blocked almost 3 billion fraudulent calls and messages in 2022, double the figure from the year prior.
