Globe Telecom Inc. yesterday said it has started the preparations for the rollout of the SIM (subscriber identification module) Registration Act to ensure the seamless registration of its 87.4 million subscribers within six months.
Last Friday, the National Telecommunications Commission has begun consultations with relevant government agencies and various stakeholders including telcos for purposes of crafting the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the law, which was signed on October 10.
Once the IRR is approved and published, Globe shall commence the registration of all existing users of SIM, including physical SIM cards and e-SIMs on mobile devices.
“We intend for our SIM registration process to be as seamless and painless to our customers as possible. Our goal is to stay true to the spirit of the law in carrying out its provisions, while ensuring that the conduct of SIM registration will be secure, inclusive and convenient for our customers,” Ernest Cu, Globe Group president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
Globe said it is looking at international best practices in designing its SIM registration platform. It is also leveraging its suite of best-in-class digital solutions to deliver an easy but secure registration system.
“We’d like to assure our customers that their data will be protected even as we give them a hassle-free registration process. We wish to effectively roll out this landmark law,” said Cu.
The SIM Registration Act is envisioned to address escalating cybercrime in the country, including the proliferation of smishing and other forms of scam and spam messaging aided by the anonymity afforded by prepaid SIMs.
These scam and spam text messages have been affecting mobile phone users, and Globe has taken several steps to curb these disruptive messages through proactive blocking, threat intelligence partnerships with financial institutions, a customer reporting portal, and an awareness and education campaign to help customers protect themselves.
From January to September this year, Globe has deactivated 16,215 mobile numbers and blacklisted 19,343 more for involvement in scam and spam messaging. It also blocked a total of 1.3 billion spam and scam messages within the same period. – Myla Iglesias
