Local telcos Globe and Smart Communications have reported high numbers of successful registrations required under the SIM Registration Law although many of their subscribers have complained on social media that they had difficulty registering and that the registration portals were down.
In a media statement, Globe said it has logged over 1.5 million SIM registrations as of 4 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 28, hours after the platform went back online.
Globe said its SIM registration portal went back up early Wednesday after technical teams worked round the clock to address potential minor vulnerabilities found in the system.
As of 4 p.m. of December 28, 2022, a total of 1,528,735 Globe and TM SIM users have completed their registration.
“Our SIM registration platform is back up and running, and we’re happy to report that our customers are logging in to register. We shall continue to closely monitor the site’s performance using the 72-hour window from December 27 to check the stability and full optimization of the system,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe Group chief sustainability and corporate communications officer.
“We would like to thank our customers for their understanding as we address issues on our platform. We also would like to reassure them that there is enough time to register,” she added.
The Ayala-owned operator said all Globe Prepaid, TM, Globe At Home Prepaid WiFi, Globe Mobile WiFi and Globe Business prepaid customers have until April 26, 2023 to register.
“New Globe SIM users have up to 72 hours from December 27 to get their SIMs registered to activate call, text and data services,” the company said.
“For existing Globe Postpaid, Globe Platinum, Globe LTE@Home, and Globe Business Postpaid customers, your data and information are deemed included in our platform and we shall get in touch with you to confirm and complete your registration details to align it with the requirements of the law,” it added.
The company said registration via the Globe One app will begin by January 2023, while on-site assisted registration will start in February 2023 for Globe customers facing challenges using digital or online platforms, using feature or basic phones, or have no Internet access.
PLDT wireless unit Smart Communications, on the other hand, said it has received close to 400,000 successful applications since SIM card registration began on Dec. 27.
On the first day of SIM Registration, 244,840 Smart Prepaid, Smart Bro, and TNT users; and 143,682 Smart Postpaid subscribers, or a total of 388,522 subscribers, were able to complete their SIM registration.
“Our postpaid subscribers were able to receive their registration confirmation within 2 minutes. Some of our prepaid subscribers, meanwhile, may have experienced initial difficulties in accessing our portal and in completing the registration process due to the heavy volume of registration traffic throughout the day,” said Kenneth Regañon, Smart regulatory affairs senior manager, in a report to the National Telecommunications Commission.
“As early as 3 am, subscribers were already trying to register and access our portal. To address this surge, we immediately increased the capacity of our portal, without going offline, enabling the registration of more subscribers,” he added.
“While these glitches and birth pains are common during the initial stages of implementing new systems, we continue to optimize our SIM registration platform to mitigate future incidents, and to better serve more Filipinos,” said Cathy Yang, PLDT and Smart group corporate communications head.
“We are likewise confident that we will be able to accommodate the registration of all existing subscribers within the deadline set by the law and the implementing rules and regulations. Rest assured that we are doing our best to deliver the best SIM registration experience possible for our subscribers.”
Teh company said new and existing Smart and TNT prepaid subscribers can access Smart’s SIM registration portal, while postpaid subscribers can simply text YES to 5858 to confirm their registration.
Meanwhile, third telco DITO Telecommunity said subscribers who successfully register their SIM cards will receive 2GB bonus data.
“As much as we promote accountability on the use of SIMs, we prioritize the security of every subscriber’s personal information. We will treat the data that we get from this registration process as absolutely confidential unless disclosure is required or permitted by law,” said Adel Tamano, chief administrative officer of Dito Telcommunity.”
The telco said new subscribers can register their SIM card via the SMS link they will receive after SIM card insertion. On the other hand, existing subscribers are required to download and access the Dito App and click the registration banner.
