Yes, the Sim Card Registration Act affects you, you sim user
On October 10 this year, Republic Act No. 11934 (or for us regular folk, the Sim Registration Act) was signed into law. But what is it and why, among the many other things that need fixing, did this one get the magical signature?
The Sim Card Registration Act: What you need to know
Basically, the Sim Card Registration requires all sim users (mobile or broadband) to take accountability—while also allowing the government to keep track of perpetrators who commit crimes using phones. In other words, we’re trying to limit the number of scams and victims made through text and online messages. You know the ones (“You’ve received P10,000! Just click this link to claim.” Wink wink.)
But now that it’s become a law, we need to do our part as citizens. That is, we need to actually register any new sim cards with the Public Telecommunications Entity (PTE) to activate them. For those with older sim cards, we had a total of 180 days from the law’s implementation. So the clock is ticking.
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But what if I don’t do it?
Look, we all have to do things we don’t really want to, right?
If you don’t register your existing sim cards, the number and account will automatically be deactivated. Moreover, telecom companies can only reactive them after proper registration has been completed—and that’s an entirely different conversation, which includes providing your details and documents. So we suggest you don’t let it get to that point; there’s still time!
How do I know if I need to do it?
Speaking specifically for Globe, all existing Globe Postpaid, Globe Platinum and Globe Business postpaid customers will be pre-registered by Globe using the details that they provided during application. If anything’s missing, Globe will call you.
Meanwhile, all Globe Prepaid, TM, Globe at Home Prepaid WiFi, Globe Mobile WiFi and Globe Business prepaid subscribers can register their sims right over here, starting December 27, 2022. Come January, you’ll be able to register through the New GlobeOne app, too. Globe and TM users can enjoy Globe services and may register until April 26, 2023 to avoid deactivation.
Lastly, new sim users can purchase deactivated sim cards from December 27, 2022. You’ll need to register them first before enjoying any services.
And because this piece of information is important to everyone: using the Globe portal and registering your sim card is free. (Which means don’t fall for scams that say it’ll cost you, okay?)
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If you didn’t know before, now you do. No excuses, okay?
If you're a Globe user looking for more information, everything is available here.
Art Macky Arquilla
