QUEZON CITY, (PIA) --With the extension of the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) registration period, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) urges public telecommunication entities (PTEs) to recalibrate their strategies to increase the number of registrants.

The SIM registration period is set to end April 26, however, the DICT announced the 90-day extension of the registration period pursuant to Republic Act (RA) No. 11934 or the SIM Registration Act.

For still unregistered SIMs during the 90-day extended registration period, the DICT is reviewing the phased implementation of one or a combination of the following: barring access to value-added services, disallowing outgoing calls, and/ or the extension of the reactivation period for deactivated SIMs.

The foregoing measures shall be the subject of an amendment to the Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 11934 and shall be implemented pursuant to applicable laws, rules and regulations. The technical capacity and capability of the country’s three PTEs to execute the proposed measures will also be considered.

The DICT will assist PTEs and government counterparts in addressing concerns on the identification requirement for SIM registration.

Further, the Department and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) will intensify the rollout of programs to help those in the marginalized sectors and those who live in unserved and underserved areas of the country to register their SIMs.

The public is advised to follow DICT’s social media channels and website for official announcements on the implementation of the SIM Registration Act.

The Department urges Filipinos to take advantage of the extended SIM registration period to promote accountability and responsibility in using SIMs and sound the death knell for cybercrimes and text scams committed by unscrupulous perpetrators. (dict/pia-ncr)