SIM Registration & Phone Number Portability

With the prevalent incidents of phone scams, it brings to mind the lobbying of certain sectors to require SIM registration for pre-paid users. A SIM, or subscriber identity module, for prepaid phone users are, up to now, completely anonymous allowing phone scams go unchecked and hard to trace because of this anonymity.

While post-paid subscribers are required strict compliance to documents for identity verification, prepaid users go unchecked. And a huge chunk of the subscriber base of these telecom companies (Globe Telecoms, Smart Communications & Sun Cellular) are using prepaid SIMs. With the registration comes similar benefits like that of post-paid subscribers — the ability to re-claim your phone number in case it got lost or the SIM card is damaged. Very important to people like me who has gathered hundreds of contacts over the years.

Malaysia has already initiated steps for SIM registration. When do we start with ours?

On the same note, Inq7.net published a story today about Congress gathering feedback from the public with regards to Phone Number Portability. I am not sure how they are doing it but perchance they bump into my blog any one of these days, I’d like to share/add some points:

• Phone Number Portability allows for convenient switching between mobile providers because subscribers need not change their numbers and inform their contacts about it.
• No more buying of new SIMs or SIM swap promotions just to trick people into switching providers.
• Avoid subscriber-padding. I’m sure these telecoms are just counting the number of SIMs sold and not the actual number of people using them.

I would only imagine why them telcos are so opposed to it, raising technical and operational issues. I’d say it’s more of an economic concern for them.

P.S. Incidentally, my entry at Pinoy.Tech.Blog today is about my “Nokia 3230, up close and personal“.