With the April 26 deadline for SIM registration fast approaching, PLDT’s wireless arm Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) and its value brand TNT have ramped up their efforts to encourage Mindanaoans to register their SIMs. Smart partnered with its provincial distributors to make the SIM registration process seamless for locals.

For 57-year-old Marissa Perez of Lupon, Davao Oriental, aside from complying with the government mandate, registering her SIM will also be a way for her to continue connecting with her family. “This SIM has been with me for years and I did my best to register before the deadline, which is only two weeks from now. I don’t want it to be deactivated since I use this to contact my children who are away from home,” she said.

Partnering with the National Telecommunications Commission, local government units, schools, cooperatives, malls, and marketplaces, Smart had set up booths accessible to the public to encourage more people to drop by and register their SIMs before the imposed deadline.

Grace Josol, a senior citizen from Davao City, was delighted to find a SIM registration booth in one of the major malls where she could easily ask for assistance. She shared, “I thank Smart for this initiative because it became easier for me and my fellow senior citizens to register our SIMs without any hassle, especially since it is almost the deadline.”

New and existing Smart Prepaid and TNT subscribers may also visit PLDT and Smart stores, or access Smart’s SIM registration portal through https://www.smart.com.ph/simreg. Postpaid users can simply text YES to 5858, while PLDT Enterprise customers can confirm their registration through their authorized representatives.

According to Republic Act (RA) 11934 or the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Registration Act, all SIM users have until April 26, 2023, to register their SIMs under their name, or risk deactivation of their SIM. The SIM Registration Act regulates the use of SIM cards to help curb the proliferation of text scams and other mobile phone-aided criminal activities.