“These issues prompted Globe to take proactive measures to make the site temporarily inaccessible as customer data security is paramount and any problem detected is treated with utmost severity,” Globe said in a statement at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, the first day of the SIM registration mandated by the SIM Registration Act.
“In light of this development, Globe has requested the NTC for a maximum of 72 hours from today to observe our SIM registration portal to ensure all patches made are technically stable,” Globe said.
Its SIM registration portal is new.globe.com.ph/simreg.
Prior to this, at least 20,000 of its 87.9 million customers had been able to register at the portal, Globe said.
“For new SIM users, they may visit the site within the next 72 hours, as we implement our system fixes,” Globe said.
Asked to clarify if the microsite had been temporarily shut down, Yoly Crisanto, chief sustainability and corporate communications officer of the Globe Group, told SunStar Cebu: “The site is up and can be used. What we asked the NTC is to allow us to stabilize the fixes we made for the next 72 hours.”
Earlier in the day, telecom firms had asked for patience as many subscribers flocked to their online portals on the first day of the SIM card registration.
Cathy Yang, first vice president and group head of corporate communications at PLDT and Smart, said in a news forum that Smart Communications’ system experienced increased traffic since 7 a.m. on Tuesday, resulting in some users experiencing unsuccessful registration.
Meanwhile, Globe Group said in a statement that several customers were able to access the site and register between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. but the portal temporarily went offline as the site was being optimized.
Crisanto said technical teams were working double time so the online platform could go live before the day (Tuesday) ended.
Both companies said they were optimizing and increasing the capacity of their systems to accommodate the high number of people wanting to register their SIM cards.
Yang asked for patience from its 70 million subscribers since this is the first time that SIM card registration is being done in their industry and the country.
Yang recommended that subscribers redo the process and keep on trying since their website and portal are up and running.
Customers of Smart can register their SIM via its online registration portal www.smart.com.ph/simreg.
Dito Telecommunity, the country’s third and newest telco player, also reminded its nearly 15 million subscribers Tuesday to register, offering them two gigabytes of bonus data upon successful registration.
Dito chief commercial officer Evelyn Jimenez said the company is committed to providing its customers with a convenient way to register their SIM through its online portal.
New subscribers of Dito can register through the link sent through text message, while existing subscribers can register using the Dito mobile application.
Smart’s Yang urged SIM card holders to send feedback to Smart’s customer service should they encounter problems or need assistance in registration.
“It is through feedback that we learn and refine the process,” said Yang.
Globe said registration via the Globe One app will begin in January 2023, while on-site assisted registration will start in February for customers “facing challenges using digital or online platforms, using feature or basic phones, or who have no internet access.”
Globe and Smart agreed that the SIM Registration Act is a major step in combating fraudsters and keeping online spaces safe amid threats of phone-aided criminal activities.
Yang assured subscribers that their company is compliant with the data privacy act of the country and guarantees that all information submitted by the users is secured.
Starting Dec. 27, all SIM card owners in the country will have 180 days to register their SIM cards. Failure to do so will result in the deactivation of their numbers.