Philippines: 54 million unregistered SIM cards deactivated, what happens next

Manila: Carlos Juan, 19, uses an Android phone. On the day he passed his driving test and finally got his driving licence, he found that the two Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards on his phone were deactivated.

Up to 54 million unregistered SIM cards had been shut down in the Asian country as of end-July 2023. The industry watchdog, the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) is implementing the SIM card rule.

“I simply ignored the reminders, and now both my SIM cards are gone, useless,” said Carlos.

On July 26, the government started deactivating unregistered mobile numbers. Following the grace period for the registration of SIM cards, the NTC reported that 113,969,014 million SIMs had been registered as of July 30, 2023.

As per Philippine law, the 180-day SIM card registration began on December 27, 2022. After the original April 26 deadline, the registration for SIM cards was extended for another 90 days — until July 25, 2023. The government has ruled out another extension.

In 2022, the number of mobile subscribers in the Philippines amounted to about 153 million, according to Statista.

What happens if your SIM card is deactivated?

Users who don’t register their SIM card face deactivation of the card beyond the deadline — it means most of the services will be cut off with the telecommunications companies and there will be a social media unavailability for those using mobile data.

It also means a user cannot use it anymore for SMS, calls, and data connection.

At the same time, the remaining prepaid load will be forfeited and the user will also lose access to all messages and contact information stored on the SIM card.

Philippine SIM card law

Republic Act (RA) 11934, commonly referred to as the SIM card law, is a Philippine law mandating the registration of SIM cards before activation.

Under the measure, mobile device users, must register their SIM cards, whether prepaid or postpaid. The law, the first measure signed into law by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., aims to fight scams being made through text and online messages.

Only one of the 17 accepted government-issued IDs and documents is needed to proceed with the registration, the DICT said.

"The possibility of extending the SIM registration period was also discussed during the meeting. We advise everyone to await the official announcement of the Department on the matter," the statement read.

Filipinos are encouraged to register their SIM cards before the deadline.

"The increasing number of registrants in the past few days is a clear indication that Filipinos share the desire to eradicate online and text scams once and for all," the DICT said.

RA 11934, which was the first measure signed into law by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Oct. 10, 2022, aims to fight scams being made through text and online messages.

The law aims to make SIM card users accountable and to aid law enforcement in tracking perpetrators of crimes committed through mobile phone activities.

Fraud, phishing attempts reported

Some netizens, however, reported that despite the registration rule, smashing/phishing attempts remain rampant using mobile phone numbers.

SIMs will still be available in local retailers and sari-sari stores even past the SIM Registration deadline.

SIM Registration: How it works

• Under the implementing rules of RA 11934, new cards must be registered upon purchase.

• SIM cards already in use but not registered during the sign-up and grace period will be deactivated.

• Users can submit one of the 17 accepted government-issued IDs and documents to proceed with the registration, according to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

Legislators said SIM registration is meant to promote the responsible use of SIM and to halt the abuses of scammers and criminals. “It is not meant to punish legitimate SIM subscribers, especially those at remote areas,” said Senator Grace Poe, author of the law in the Philippine Senate.