Over 100 million registered SIMs in Philippines as of mid-July, NTC says

MANILA, Philippines — The number of registered mobile phone subscriber identification modules (SIMs) in the Philippines has surpassed 100 million, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) reported. 

As of July 13, 2023, a total of 103,101,990 SIMs have been registered, accounting for 61.36% of the country's total subscriber base of 168,016,400. 

Data from the NTC's website showed that among the registered SIMs, 48.798 million belong to Smart subscribers, comprising 73.60% of the company's total subscriber base of 66.304 million. 

Globe follows closely behind with 47.025 million registered SIMs, accounting for 54.21% of its 86.746 million total subscribers. 

DITO Telecommunity's registered subscribers reached 7.278 million, representing 48.64% of its 14.964 million total customers.

The SIM registration period, which was initially set to expire on April 26, was extended for 90 days until July 25. 

Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy told the public in April that this would be the last extension of registration of SIMs. 

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. approved the 90-day extension to allow an estimated 20 million more subscribers to register their SIM cards.

The government implemented the SIM Registration Act, which was signed into law by Marcos on Oct. 10, 2022, to curb scams through short messaging services (SMS) or text. The SIM registration started on Dec. 27, 2022.

Under the legislation, all telcos are required to submit verified lists of their authorized dealers and agents to the NTC. These lists must be updated quarterly to ensure accurate tracking and regulation of SIM sales and usage.