PTA to Start Another Phase of SIM Blocking of These Individuals

In a significant development, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has announced to block all SIM cards registered in the names of deceased individuals. Moreover, PTA has stated that these SIM cards will be deactivated starting from October 15, 2024.

Consequenty, the national telecom regulator  has requested citizens to transfer these SIMs to their own names, if they want to use in the future. For this purpose, they will have to submit the necessary documents at the franchise or service center of the relevant telecom provider.

PTA will be blocking the dubious SIMs in phases. In the first phase, it will block SIMs registered with fake or canceled CNICs. The second phase will be targetting SIMs linked to expired CNICs. In the final phase, the telecom regulator will block SIMs registered under the CNICs of deceased individuals.

The process initited on August 16, after PTA received the required data from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). Reportedly, the subscribers have already started to receieve notifications about this action on their SIMs.

This initiative is part of a broader plan by PTA to increase the security and accuracy of mobile subscriber data. It will also help the authorities in mitigating crime rates, as a large number of criminal activities are carried out on these dubious SIM cards.

Also read:

Pakistan’s 5G Rollout on Track: PTA Announces Auction Date