Globe Telecom Inc. and Smart Communications Inc. said Tuesday all SIM cards currently in use on their networks are registered.
Globe said it has a system that prevents unregistered SIMs from being activated. It said a new SIM is only activated once registered through Globe’s SIM registration platforms.
“We designed our SIM registration system in such a way that no SIM can be used on the network unless registered. Therefore, all active SIMs within our network are in our system,” said Globe vice president and head of consumer mobile business Darius Delgado.
“Even as we continue to enhance our SIM registration platform, we already have measures in place that defend against the illegal use of unregistered SIMs,” he said.
Globe has 58.8 million mobile subscribers.
Meanwhile, PLDT and Smart Communications Inc. said they engaged their regional and provincial distributors and local dealers to ensure security and integrity of the sale and distribution process of Smart SIMs.
It issued the statement after the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) found that unregistered SIM cards were being used to receive online bank transaction messages.
The unregistered cards were being exploited by criminals to defraud the public, including receiving messages for online bank transactions, the CICC said. Darwin G. Amojelar
The SIM Registration Act or Republic Act No. 11934, commonly known as the SIM card law, mandates the registration of all SIM cards before activation. The law which took effect on Dec.27,2022 aimed to curb cybercriminal activities and the spread of text scams.
A total of 113,969,014 SIM cards were registered as of July 30, 2023. This accounted for 67.83 percent of the 168,016,400 SIM cards previously thought to be in circulation.