To fight fraud and scams, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is thinking of requiring in-person SIM card registration.
According to the regulator, dishonest people are taking advantage of the system by selling their identities to other parties.
Introducing personal appearance
A "personal appearance requirement for [SIM] registration, similar to the requirements for driver's licenses and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance applications," according to the telecoms regulator, is something it is thinking about implementing.
According to the NTC, the procedure would be identical to that of obtaining a driver's license.
The present online SIM registration process has been criticized for being a contributing factor to the rise in text frauds, the NTC acknowledged.
PCTO opposes
The National Telecommunications Commission's (NTC) intentions to force mobile consumers to register for SIM cards in person rather than online were resisted by the Philippine Chamber of Telecommunication Operators (PCTO), which claimed that doing so would slow down SIM registrations.
According to PCTO vice president Roy Ibay, the idea essentially turns SIM registration into a laborious and time-consuming manual process.
According to the report, the PTCO also suggested that the NTC set up specific hubs in specific locations where customers could register in person in the event that they are experiencing difficulties verifying their identification online.
