MANILA — Globe Telecom on Monday said it made use of the emergency cell broadcast (ECB) system to urge users to register their SIM cards, a few days before the April 26 deadline.
Globe said the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council gave no objections to the use of the ECB. A law on free mobile disaster alerts allows the NDRRMC and other government agencies to use the telco network system to blast warnings during disasters and emergencies.
Globe said it utilized the system to "urgently advise" customers to avoid deactivation of their SIM. Deactivation will mean disruption in crucial SMS-linked services such as financial transactions, healthcare, learning, livelihood, transport and deliveries, among others, it said.
"We are at a critical time as the deadline draws near, and we want to ensure that our customers are compliant with the law to avoid SIM deactivation. This way, they will continue to enjoy our call, text and data services for their day-to-day needs," said Globe Group President and CEO Ernest Cu.
As of April 22, Globe has registered over 35.8 million SIMs out of its total 86.7 million customer base.
With the ECBs, daily registrations increased to 800,000 from 400,000, Globe said. Over the weekend, daily registrations hit over 1 million, it added.
Globe, as well as DITO Telecommunity and Smart Communications, have been urging the government to extend the April 26 deadline to allow consumers to obtain valid IDs.
Telcos have said the lack of IDs as well as digital literacy are among the roadblocks that are slowing down the turnout.
Regulators, meanwhile, have not extended the SIM registration deadline yet.
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