DICT to meet industry stakeholders to discuss next steps on SIM registration

Authorities will meet with telcos and other stakeholders on Monday to discuss the next steps to take on SIM registration.

File photo: DICT logo

Possible extension to SIM registration?

According to a report by CNN Philippines, Department of Information and Communications Technology Sec. Ivan Uy said the meeting is set on April 24. They will be discussing the latest situation of SIM registration and deciding whether an extension is needed.

We'll be meeting with the telcos and other stakeholders on Monday in order to find out what's actually the status and the current situation with respect to the registration, he said. 

The SIM Registration Act allows up to 120 days of extension. However, the DICT already rejected initial calls from telcos to move the April 26 deadline.

Following this decision, Uy said they have seen "very encouraging numbers."

We're hitting more than a million registration almost daily compared to just a few hundred thousand for the past several months, he noted. 

Pending the decision on Monday, Uy urged the public to register now since they were already given six months to comply. 

If they were not able to do it for a period of six months… what's going to change if we extend it for say maybe 30 more days or 60 more days. They still won't do it, he pointed out. 

Aside from the issue of the deadline, Uy said authorities will also discuss other concerns, like allowing the submission of alternative IDs.

Meanwhile, Junk SIM Registration Network spokesperson Maded Batara III said they will be conducting a protest to inform the agency “why they shouldn’t interrupt the people’s access to communication.”

Batara along with other groups challenged the SIM registration law before the Supreme Court. They want the court to declare it unconstitutional and issue a temporary restraining order to stop its implementation.

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Via: CNN Philippines