Telco giants Globe and Smart have expressed their support for the signing of the SIM registration act into law.
On Monday, October 10, 2022, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. signed the SIM Registration bill into law, concluding years of deliberation. The law comes at a time when smishing and other forms of scam and spam messaging, as well as a variety of other SIM-assisted criminal activity, are on the rise, with perpetrators remaining anonymous.
Globe supports signing of SIM Card Registration bill, seeks full rollout of National ID system
In a statement, Globe Telecom said that they welcome the swift passage and signing of the SIM Registration Law. The telco also reiterates its call for the full rollout of the Philippine National ID.
A verifiable and fool-proof identification system is the foundation of the SIM Registration law, according to Globe. If individuals are permitted to submit any form of identification that can be easily forged, law enforcement will have no use for SIM registration, and criminals will continue to operate.
Globe general counsel Froilan Castelo said their "position has been clear from the beginning, a National ID system must be in place to ensure the safe and successful implementation of this new law."
It is anticipated that the passage of the SIM Registration law will provide stronger regulation and enforcement against cybercriminals who hide behind anonymity in order to defraud mobile phone users.
Globe asserts that the government must consider international best practices when implementing the new SIM Registration law. Numerous nations use their national ID system to easily verify the identity of SIM number registrants. The majority of Filipinos will be covered by a National ID system that will serve as a crucial source document for telcos to verify the IDs that prepaid SIM users present as proof of identity for registration.
Castelo added that they "support the passage of this measure after previous roadblocks," and they are "ready to comply." Aside from their advanced cybersecurity capabilities, Castelo said that they "welcome a new regulatory environment that has stronger safeguards against cyberthreats and other crimes carried out using mobile phones."
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Globe is collaborating with the government to draft the implementing rules and regulations for the rational enforcement of the law, which includes the retroactive registration of tens of millions of prepaid SIM users.
Smart supports signing of SIM registration act into law; preparations underway
PLDT-led Smart Communications has hailed the signing of the SIM registration act into law. The telco also calls for more time to prepare for SIM registration.
Roy Ibay, Smart VP and Head of Regulatory Affairs, said that "there is a clamor from Public telecommunication entities (PTEs) like Smart to be given more time to prepare and test its systems to ensure the safety of the information that will be collected from prepaid subscribers - as an information campaign on the SIM registration process will be launched."
Ibay also added that the telco will "ensure to provide its prepaid customers a smooth and hassle-free experience upon registry of their SIMs."
Smart has also reaffirmed its willingness to participate in the development of the bill's implementing regulations (IRR). Ibay noted that they are "ready to participate in the formulation of the IRR within the prescribed period."
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In addition to their support for SIM registration, Smart's longstanding consumer protection initiatives include measures aimed at preventing mobile phone-assisted criminal activities like text scams. Besides blocking SIMs that send "smishing" messages, Smart has also blocked URLs associated with these illegal activities. In 2021, PLDT and Smart invested close to 3 billion Pesos in cybersecurity infrastructure to protect the public from emerging cyber threats, vulnerabilities, and other online criminal activities.
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