2-year jail time vs SIM fakers

With the release of the implementing rules and regulations for the SIM Card Registration Act, telecommunications subscribers are now required to register their SIMs, or else their cards will be immediately deactivated.

The National Telecommunications Commission on Monday released the IRR of the law, which stated that telco operators or public telecommunications entities that refuse to register a subscriber's SIM without a valid reason will face a fine of up to P1 million.

Subscribers have 180 days from the effectiveness of the law to register their SIMs, according to the NTC. SIM refers to the subscribers' identification modules that often come as chips containing the information of subscribers.

SIM card registration will be done electronically through a secure website operated by the telco companies.

Individual registrants need to provide their full name, birth date, sex, official address, type of ID presented, and ID number. They also need to present a photo along with any valid government-issued ID to register their SIM.

Aliens, too
All SIMs — including eSIMs, and even SIMs intended only for data such as those used for wireless broadband modems, machine-to-machine communications, and IoT or internet of things devices — also need to be registered.

Meanwhile, businesses enrolling their data need to fill out the business name, address, and full name of the authorized signatory.

On the other hand, foreigners registering their SIMs also need to show their passports and address in the Philippines, among other things.

The IRR also gave teeth on sanctions that will be filed against subscribers who will give fake names or information in their registration. They can be imprisoned for up to two years with a fine of up to P300,000.

Relatedly, telcos are tasked to deactivate SIMs used for fraudulent texts or calls "upon due investigation."

A fine of up to P300 thousand or imprisonment of up to 6 years may also be imposed on people who sell or transfer a registered SIM "without complying with the required registration." It also applies to sellers of stolen SIMs.

In a separate statement, telco giants welcomed the release of the IRR and vowed to launch their respective registration portals.

Illicit activities
Globe Group president and CEO Ernest Cu said the passage of the SIM Registration Act is a significant step forward in fighting fraudsters who have been taking advantage of SIM use anonymity in their illicit activities.

"Our goal is to have a SIM registration process that is seamless, secure, inclusive and convenient for our customers," he said. Globe will launch its online SIM registration platform and start selling new SIMs in the deactivated mode.

Meanwhile, Francis E. Flores, SVP and Head of Consumer Business Group — Individual at Smart, said the company is "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."

New player DITO Telecommunity Corp., for its part, is committed to helping subscribers register their SIM cards seamlessly.

"We support this important initiative of the government to protect the public from phishing and similar types of fraudulent activities. We will do our level best to make the registration process as simple and painless as possible for new DITO subscribers and our 14 million existing customers," DITO chief administrative officer Atty. Adel Tamayo said.