Commission on Elections officials pose for a picture during a site inspection and walkthrough at Dito Telecommunity office in Taguig City on Thursday, October 17, 2024 (Photo from Dianne Sampang / INQUIRER.net)
MANILA, Philippines — Two hundred forty-six thousand (240,000) sim cards will be used to transmit voting results in the 2025 midterm elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Thursday.
Comelec chairman George Garcia said that iOne, the provider of the Secure Electronic Transmission Services for the 2025 elections, tapped three big telecommunications companies to provide the sim cards that will be used to transmit voting results.
“240,000… kasi lahat yan sa buong Pilipinas. Kaya ang kalahati noon, 120,000, ay sa Smart at natitirang 120,000 ay paghahatian ng Globe at saka ng Dito,” Garcia said in the sidelines of the site inspection and walkthrough in Dito office in Taguig City.
(240,000… because all of that is for the whole Philippines. That’s why half of that, 120,000, will come from Smart and the remainder will be shared by Globe and Dito.)
“At yun ang kadahilanan ay sapagkat pinili namin, yun bang areas na kung saan, pinili ng iOne na kung saan 4 bars ang lakas, halimbawa ng Dito,” he noted.
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(The reason for that… our having selected the areas… the areas wherein iOne chose the places where it has 4-bar receptions, like Dito.)
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The poll body chief explained there will be primary and back-up sim cards in the 110,000 automated counting machines (ACMs) to be used in the upcoming elections.
“Mayroon dapat na tig da dalawa na primary at saka secondary or back-up na sim cards. So, more or less, kasama yung ating sa municipal board of canvassers, sa city board of canvassers, at saka sa provincial board of canvassers,” Garcia said.
(There should be a primary and secondary or back-up sim cards. So, more or less, the municipal board of canvassers, city board of canvassers, and provincial board of canvassers are included.)
“More or less, lahat lahat na yun ay 240,000,” Garcia estimated.
(More or less, they are at 240,000.)
Comelec will also use satellite internet provider Starlink in areas that have no signal or reception.
He also said that iOne will fulfill the commitment of completing the delivery of 7,000 Starlinks before the end of the year.
The Comelec chairperson said the provision of sim cards in the automated counting machines are determined by the strength of the connectivity or signal of one telecommunications company in an area.
“Tapos, doon sa ibang area naman, kung saan sila malakas… Yung halimbawa, Smart or Globe, doon naman po ang machines doon ay yun ang dala dala na SIM cards,” he further explained.
(Then, in other areas where their signals are strong… For example, Smart or Globe, in those areas, the machines there carry their sim cards.)
“Pero kahit na malakas sila, pero sa palagay natin baka biglang mag fluctuate yung signal, halimbawa for any reason at all, mayroon naka-standby tayo na pwedeng mapadala kaagad ng Starlink,” he said.
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(But even when the signal is strong, but if we think it might suddenly fluctuate, for example for any reason at all, we have on standby that Starlink can immediately send.)
