PTA Urges Mobile Users to Activate Balance-Saving Service to Prevent Unwanted Data Charges

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has advised mobile subscribers to activate balance-saving services offered by cellular operators to avoid unintended deductions caused by mobile internet usage after a data bundle expires or is fully consumed.

In a public awareness advisory, the telecom regulator said cellular mobile operators provide a Balance Save or PayG Blocker service to help protect users from unexpected charges when they no longer have an active internet package.

According to the advisory, the service prevents pay-as-you-go mobile data from consuming a customer’s remaining prepaid balance once the subscribed data bundle has ended or its allocated data has been exhausted.

PTA said subscribers can activate the facility through operator-specific USSD codes:

The authority said the service is available free of charge, allowing prepaid customers to better control out-of-bundle data usage without paying an additional fee.

Unwanted deductions can occur when mobile data remains switched on after a package expires or reaches its limit. Background applications, automatic updates and other online services may continue to consume data, which can then be charged at standard pay-as-you-go rates unless a blocking service has been enabled.

PTA’s advisory is aimed at improving consumer awareness and reducing complaints related to unexpected balance deductions.

The regulator has encouraged users to activate the balance-saving feature where available, particularly those who regularly use prepaid internet bundles and want greater control over their remaining mobile balance.

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