The deactivation of unregistered subscriber identity module (SIM) cards will no longer take place one month before the July 25 registration deadline, according to Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy.
Uy stated that with the current number of registered SIM cards reaching 100 million, there might not be a need to proceed with the deactivation.
“We may no longer need to do it. Naka-100 million na tayo. So I think probably we don’t need to do it anymore,” Uy told reporters.
Uy expressed concerns about the hassle involved in implementing a program that would only be used for a month, considering the time required for development and deployment, which could take up to three weeks or a month.
“Masyadong hassle pa yata. Gagawa pa tayo ng program to ano tapos we will just use it for one month. Eh yung development nun at deployment baka abutin ng three weeks or one month,” the official added.
He also appealed to users to register their SIM cards within the remaining month, emphasizing that deactivation would occur after the deadline.
The initial deadline for SIM registration was April 26, but it was extended due to only 82 million out of 168 million active SIM cards being registered at the time.
As of June 20, the National Telecommunications Commission reported that a total of 100,048,884 card chips have been registered across Globe, Smart, and DITO.
