The total number of registered subscriber identity module (SIM) cards has reached 114 million.
As of July 30, data from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) showed the total registered users represent 68 percent of the 168 million SIM users as of end-December 2022. This means that over 54 million SIMs have been deactivated.
Globe Telecom Inc. still leads with nearly 54 million registered SIMs as of July 30, which is over 1.2 million higher than Smart Communications Inc.’s 52.5 million registered users.
Globe’s registered users represent 64 percent of its total 84.2 million subscribers as of the first quarter of 2023.
Globe has logged a last-minute surge in SIM registrations after the deadline lapsed on July 25 and the grace period for reactivation started on July 26, recording nearly 4 million more registered and reactivated SIMs during the five-day grace period.
A survey found that many registered at the last minute as they were afraid to be victimized by identity theft, while the others were extremely busy with other pressing matters.
“After seven months of our nationwide registration which brought us to the remote parts of the country, Globe was able to reach the most number of customers successfully. With close to 54 million subscribers registered, we retained our position as the country’s mobile leader,” said Darius Delgado, head of Globe’s consumer mobile business.
Earlier, Globe said 90 percent of its revenue-generating SIMs have already registered.
PLDT Inc. wireless unit Smart, along with its value mobile brand TNT, registered 52.5 million subscribers or 80 percent of its 65.7-million subscriber base.
Smart logged the biggest percentage of registered subscribers among mobile operators in the Philippines as of July 30.
“No other mobile operator came close to achieving this percentage of registered subscribers versus their subscriber base,” Smart said.
Smart and TNT’s registered subscribers represent 99 percent of their active users, thus securing nearly all the wireless revenues of the PLDT Group.
Third mobile operator Dito Telecommunity Corp. has registered 7.7 million users, which is equivalent to 51.7 percent of its total subscriber base last year.
