Deadline for SIM card registration still April 26, says DICT's Uy

Deadline for the mandatory registration of SIM cards will remain April 26, according to Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan John Uy on Monday.

"We like to as much as possible stick to what the law allows us to do and let's see how the public has so far complied with what the law requires," Uy said in a video tweet by GMA Integrated News' Ian Cruz.

"And as of today the deadline is still April 26," he added.

Uy said they are seeing "good progress" in the registration, which started on December 27 last year when the SIM Card Registration Act took effect.

Under the law, SIM card users are given 180 days or until April 26, 2023 to register their SIM cards or face the risk of having these cards deactivated.

Telecommunications firms Globe Telecom Inc. and Smart Communications Inc., meanwhile, have called on the government to extend the deadline to give mobile users, particularly the marginalized sectors and those located in far-flung areas, ample time to register their SIM cards. —KBK, GMA Integrated News