Telcos will have their hands full in the first half of 2023 as the mandatory registration of SIM cards will be in full swing.
National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) consultant Edgardo Cabarrios said there are 158.6 million active SIM cards that should be registered in compliance with Republic Act No. 11934 or the SIM Card Registration Act.
Cabarrios said 82 percent of the active SIM cards in the country are prepaid or bought over the counter.
“If it’s (number) used for illegal activities, you will be the number one suspect, the primary suspect. So, you might have second thoughts about registering too many SIMs,” he said during a government briefing.
The registration period for SIM cards will begin on December 27, with telcos given six months to complete the process of securing the names and personal details of both prepaid and postpaid subscribers who have been using a specific 11-digit cellphone number.
