PTA Orders 180-Day Validity for Prepaid Mobile Balance, Automatic Restoration After Recharge

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has directed cellular mobile operators to provide prepaid users with a minimum balance validity of 180 days on every recharge, while also requiring expired balances to be automatically restored when a subscriber recharges again.

The new rules will take effect from October 1, 2026, and are aimed at preventing millions of prepaid users from permanently losing unused mobile balance.

According to the PTA’s determination, around 97 percent of mobile subscribers in Pakistan, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan use prepaid connections, making balance expiry a significant consumer-protection issue.

The regulator said forfeiture of unused balance can disproportionately affect low-income subscribers, particularly those who recharge infrequently but still retain money in their accounts.

Expired Balance Must Be Restored After Recharge

Under the new framework, all cellular mobile operators will be required to ensure that every recharge or balance remains valid for at least 180 days.

If a subscriber’s balance expires while the SIM remains active, the operator must automatically reinstate that balance once the user performs a subsequent recharge.

The PTA has also warned operators against adopting unfair commercial practices while implementing the decision.

The move follows repeated consumer complaints over the permanent loss of prepaid balances once validity periods expired.

Before issuing the determination, the regulator had floated proposals for public consultation, including allowing balances to remain valid throughout the active life of a SIM and linking unused balances to a subscriber’s CNIC so they could be restored on another SIM or refunded.

Public feedback largely favored stronger consumer protections, with many respondents arguing that prepaid balances represent customers’ own money and should not be permanently forfeited.

Operators Raised Technical and Financial Concerns

Mobile operators took differing positions during the consultation process.

Jazz supported the proposal for longer balance protection and told the regulator that it had already implemented a system under which a prepaid balance remains valid while the SIM remains active.

Telenor opposed indefinite validity but said expired balances are automatically restored after a subsequent recharge.

PTML and CMPak also resisted permanent validity, citing concerns including long-term financial liabilities, dormant SIMs, system changes, and complications in financial reporting and numbering-resource management.

Operators also opposed the CNIC-linked balance mechanism, pointing to technical complexity, fraud risks, ownership disputes, and additional compliance costs.

Despite those concerns, the PTA said operators had broadly acknowledged the need to protect consumers from permanently losing unused prepaid balances.

The regulator also cited international practices, including Vodafone in the United Kingdom, where prepaid balance remains valid while the SIM stays active and customers may request refunds of unused balance or bundles within a specified period after disconnection.

The PTA concluded that a minimum validity framework, combined with automatic restoration of expired balances, could strengthen consumer protection without undermining the commercial viability of telecom operators.

The decision is expected to have a direct impact on millions of prepaid subscribers once it comes into force on October 1, 2026.

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