DICT: SIM registration as easy as opening an e-wallet

Registering subscriber identity module (SIM) cards could be done in the same way like opening an account with a popular e-wallet platform, according to the top official of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

This method would allow for the fast and convenient registration of about 144 million SIM cards, DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy said on the sidelines of a recent event in Mandaluyong.

He said mobile subscribers could simply upload their required personal information, along with a digital copy of a valid ID, through an online site or app.

A valid ID could be one’s passport, he said, adding the latter would then be verified by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

“That might be the better process. Not everyone needs to flock to telco offices,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Subscribers should only go to a telco’s service center if there were concerns with the registration process, he said.

According to Uy, the process will be ironed out and finalized in the SIM Registration Act’s implementing rules and regulations. The law was signed last Oct 10.

“We are still working on the IRR. Let’s wait for the IRR,” he said.

The telcos earlier said they were ready to work with the government in crafting the law’s IRR. They also urged the government to ramp up the rollout and distribution of national IDs since a valid document with a photo is required to register SIM cards.

“A national ID system must be in place to ensure the safe and successful implementation of this new law,” Globe general counsel Froilan M. Castelo said previously.