As expected millions tried to have their SIM cards registered but a new requirement of selfie photos of the registrant, outside of government-issued IDs, caused glitches in the telco’s systems.
The first day of implementation of SIM Card Registration law was marred by glitches and server issues, which affected thousands who wanted to register their SIM cards early.
Telecommunication companies experienced glitches on platforms used for the registration of SIM cards as a new law requiring Filipinos to link their information to a mobile number took effect on Tuesday, December 27, Rappler reported.
In a radio interview, Yoly Crisanto, Globe’s chief sustainability and corporate communications officer, said the group’s registration portal had been taken down temporarily to fix issues with its verification process which asked users to upload a selfie.
Crisanto said the additional step was added after the Philippine government required telcos to verify users’ information upon registering their SIM cards.
“If you recall, what the law asked of telcos is to register and the registration is you need to input all your data. But yesterday, based on the press conference, the government asked for some form of verification…. That’s why we are now asking for a selfie,” Crisanto said.
Top phone service providers stress the 'administrative nightmare' involved in requiring SIM registration among 90 percent of the 100 million mobile phone subscribers.
“We need to adjust our system to follow what is asked of us,” she added.
Prior to this, telcos had required users to submit a valid government ID along with personal information to register their SIM cards.
Meanwhile, Smart Communications advised users at around 9 am that some subscribers may face difficulty accessing its registration after a high number of users were on its site. “Our technical team is working on increasing capacity,” it said.
In line with the new law, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) announced on Tuesday that it was launching a complaint center through which the public could report issues related to their SIM registration.
“The first 15 days starting December 27 is a test period. This means that registrations during this period are all valid, but we are already anticipating that there could be some difficulties because this process is new to both the subscribers and the PTEs,” said DICT Spokesman Anna Mae Lamentillo.
The DICT said the complaint center will be accessible every day, around the clock, and will be under supervision of its attached agency, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center. Concerns can be directed to the group through hotline 1326.
“Our people are working on it as we speak and we hope to be able to get back on track with the registration anytime of the day,” said Manny Estrada, head of regulatory development and strategy of Globe Telecom Corporate Legal Services Group.
He also told CNN Philippines that the company has deployed a team of technical and customer engagement staff to make sure that concerns of customers are addressed and online registration will be seamless once it resumes.
Cathy Yang, PLDT-Smart first vice president and corporate communications head, said this is a good sign because it means people are eager to comply with the law. For now, she asked subscribers to be patient as they increase the capacity of their system.
Meanwhile, CNN Philippines was able to access the registration form of DITO through its app. Some DITO subscribers also shared how smooth the online registration process was for them.
SMART and DITO also said their subscribers could go to any of their stores where they could be assisted to register.
The DICT had foretold of issues that may occur in the first two weeks of SIM registration, but telcos have assured they will improve their processes.
“Concerns related to the SIM registration can be directed to them through hotline 1326,” the DICT said.
Up to 160 million physical SIM cards and e-SIMs are expected to be registered — prepaid and postpaid combined.
According to the law’s implementing rules and regulations or IRR, mobile phone subscribers with prepaid SIM cards must register and verify their phone numbers with their respective public telecommunications companies or PTEs 180 days from Dec. 27, 2022. After the extension period of 120 days, unregistered SIMs will be deactivated. Owners of deactivated SIMs have only five days to register and reactivate.
As for postpaid subscribers, their data submitted to their respected service provider will only need to be verified.
Meanwhile, SIMs of foreign national end-users visiting as tourists shall only be valid for 30 days. It may be extended upon submission of an approved visa extension.
“The PTEs (public telecommunications entities) and their respective SIM registration systems have committed to make their systems up by (today),” National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) Deputy Commissioner Jon Paulo V. Salvahan said at a Monday briefing in Quezon City.
Salvahan said there will be continual oversight and adjustment as the SIM registration processes are expected to evolve and adapt to any concerns that may crop up in the future.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla said at the briefing that the implementation of the SIM Registration Act will aid the fight against all forms of cybercrime.
He noted that it had been “very easy for anyone to use unregistered prepaid SIM cards to commit any cybercrime in the form of scams, harassment, libel, and smishing,” among others.
“In fact, our Office of Cybercrime has received a total of 4,899 reports of harassment or unlawful debt collection from online lending companies for the years 2020 up to December 2022, wherein the harassment was usually done through mobile phone calls and SMS,” Remulla said. He also asked telcos to ensure the protection of their subscribers’ data.
“This government will be vigilant so that data in your SIM Registers are secured and protected at all times and shall comply with the minimum information security standards prescribed by the DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology), consistent with internationally accepted cybersecurity standards and relevant laws, rules, and regulations,” he added.
The DICT is mandated to collect SIM card registries from the PTEs and maintain the records.
Under the IRR of the SIM Card Registration Act, anyone who provides false information or who uses fraudulent identification documents to register a SIM may face up to two years of imprisonment or a fine of not more than P300,000.
Mobile service companies that fail or refuse to register SIMs may also face fines of up to P1 million.
“We are ready to roll out our SIM registration processes after months of preparations, which have included, among others, studying best global practices and technology solutions from other countries that have already implemented SIM registration,” Francis E. Flores, senior vice-president and head of consumer business group- individual at PLDT Inc.’s Smart, said in a statement.
Globe Group President and Chief Executive Officer Ernest L. Cu said the company’s goal is to have a SIM registration process that is “seamless, secure, inclusive, and convenient for customers.”
DITO Chief Administrative Officer Adel A. Tamano said the company will do its best to make the registration process “as simple and painless as possible” for new and existing subscribers.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the NTC said that separate legislation will be needed to cover smartphone applications, including Telegram, that do not require a SIM card to further strengthen efforts against cybercrime.
“For those applications that do not need a SIM card, there might have to be another subsequent piece of legislation. They are not covered by the existing law as it is only for SIM registration,” NTC’s Salvahan told Business World.
Tags: #DICT, #SIMCardRegistration, #glitches