Survey shows low SIM registration compliance

MANILA — A Social

Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted in March found low compliance with the law mandating the registration of SIM cards. Results of the survey released on Wednesday, May 3 found that only 56 percent of SIM card owners registered as of the survey period of March 26 to 29, or about a month before the initial deadline for SIM registration on April 26.

The government later approved a 90-day extension for Filipinos to register their SIM cards. Most of those who have yet to register were in Mindanao (50 percent of SIM card owners), followed by those in balance Luzon (45 percent), Metro Manila (38 percent) and the Visayas (36 percent).

Non-registration was also highest among non-elementary and elementary graduates (49 percent), followed by junior high school graduates (44 percent) and senior high school, vocational and college graduates (39 percent).

Among those who already registered their SIM cards, some 72 percent said they found the process easy, while 28 percent described it as either somewhat or very hard.

More SIM registrants in

Mindanao found the process difficult at 46 percent. It was also difficult for 27 percent among those in the Visayas, some 25 percent in Metro Manila, and 22 percent in the rest of Luzon.

The number of those who found it difficult to register their SIM cards was also higher among those in rural areas (35 percent) compared to those in urban areas (25 percent).

Cellphone ownership

The survey also found that 73 percent of the respondents own at least one cellphone, with a majority saying they only use one SIM card.

About one in every five cellphone owners said they own two SIM cards.

Asked about their network providers, Touch Mobile emerged as the most subscribed to among respondents in balance Luzon (31 percent) and Mindanao (48 percent), while Talk ‘N Text has the most subscribers in the Visayas (39 percent).

Meanwhile, Smart and Globe dominated in Metro Manila at 34 percent and 32 percent, respectively.

Among all respondent cellphone owners, new player DITO only had two percent as its subscribers, compared to Touch Mobile’s 30 percent, Talk

‘N Text’s 26 percent, Globe’s 25 percent and Smart’s 23 percent.

The First Quarter 2023 SWS survey had 1,200 respondents and a sampling error margin of +/-2.8 percent.

With the SIM card registration deadline moved to July, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) observed that the pace of registration has again slowed down.

Data released by the DICT showed that 94.31 million SIM cards, or 56.13 percent of the total 168.98 million, have been registered as of May 3.

Earlier, President Marcos announced the extension of the deadline on April 25 by 90 days, during which DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy aims to hit 70-percent registration.

Uy said the targeted percentage represents the actual number of active SIM card subscribers since the remaining 30 percent is comprised of inactive numbers from subscribers using disposable SIMs.

The SIM Card Registration Act mandates the deactivation of unregistered SIM cards, rendering them unusable for voice calls, text messaging and mobile data services. (Janvic Mateo/Philstar.com)