Millions register SIMs following hitches

With hopes of finally protecting themselves from text scams, millions of subscribers successfully registered their SIM cards as the process eases after hitches during the first day.

Ayala-backed Globe Telecom Inc. reported that it logged over P1.6 million SIM registrations as of 6 p.m. on 28 December after the platform went back online following a fine-tuning for a better customer experience.

Globe's SIM registration portal, https://new.globe.com.ph/simreg, went back up early Wednesday after technical teams worked round the clock to address potential minor vulnerabilities found in the system.

Meanwhile, Pangilinan-led Smart Communications Inc., the wireless subsidiary of integrated PLDT Inc., said 1.01 million subscribers registered to their portal as of 4 p.m. on 28 December.

Third telco player DITO Telecommunity Corp., on the other hand, reported that over half a million registered as of 3 p.m. on 28 December.

Daily reports required

Following the glitches encountered by subscribers on the first day of registration, the National Telecommunications Communication issued an order requiring all telco providers to submit daily reports for seven days from 28 December.

The report should include any incident of incomplete SIM registration, the platform involved, several subscribers affected, geographical area, and other issues and concerns affecting SIM Registration, as well as actions taken to address these issues and actions to mitigate or eliminate future incidents of similar nature.

Telco reports in compliance with this mandate need to be submitted to the NTC's Office of the Commissioner and Regulation Branch on or before noon of the following day thru email.

In October, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the SIM Card Registration Act amid the proliferation of text spam. It was the first law signed by Marcos since he assumed his position as the country's chief executive.