Telco operators not keen on in-person SIM card registration

Inquirer file photo

MANILA, Philippines — An official of the Philippine Chamber of Telecommunication Operators (PCTO) cautioned the government against requiring cell phone owners to register their SIM (subscriber identity module) cards in person, as this will slow down the process.

PCTO vice president Roy Ibay, on the sidelines of an event in Taguig City this week, reiterated that the SIM card registration law mandates online means for registration.

“[It’s] also expedient for everybody and convenient for any subscriber of any mobile network to be able to onboard a subscriber,” he said.

READ: Personal appearance may become a requirement for SIM registration

Ongoing review

The National Telecommunications Commission last month said it was reviewing proposals to improve the implementation of the SIM Registration Act.

These include requiring the SIM card owner to be present during registration, much like when applying for a driver’s license or clearance from the National Bureau of Investigation, to make identity verification easier.

Ibay said this raises the need to establish an ID database that telcos can refer to during the verification process.

“That has always been the clamor from telcos that [the] government should come up with a way for telcos to verify any government ID because that’s what the law provides,” he explained.

“There’s a way that we can probably interlink the telcos’ systems to be able to vet the [IDs on the] national level up to the barangay level,” he added.

SIM card registration was implemented starting in 2022 to curb the proliferation of text scams, which trick users into providing their personal information.

With hackers illegally obtaining the victim’s data, like bank account details, they can perform an account takeover and siphon out money.