PTA has extended SIM Verification Deadline

[Saifullah Sani]

At the moment, SIM verification seems the most difficult task for students and professionals. For all the lazy people out there, SIM verification dates have been extended. The new deadline is 14th of April, which means you still have a couple of weeks to get the SIMs verified. This is the last extension of the date and all the unverified sims will be blocked after the deadline.

According to PTA, more than 53 million SIMs of 38 million users have been verified throughout the country within the past six weeks through biometric screening. Syed Ismail Shah, Chairman PTA, has said that more than 49 million SIMs will be verified within the upcoming deadline of 14th April.

The national database is being compiled to put a full-stop to ongoing terrorist activities in the country. The whole biometric sim verification process was started after the December 16th Peshawar School attack.

PTA has extended SIM Verification Deadline

 

[خره مينه لګته وي]

Almost 8 weeks Remaining

 

[Jazzbot]

Damn I waited for hours in lines today to get my only sim verified.

 

[Pakistanisage]

I verified my SIM few weeks ago when Ufone visited me at my office...

 

[GHOST RIDER]

I verified my SIM few weeks ago when Ufone visited me at my office...

VIP Culture ?

I had my sim verified from one of Karachi "sensitive" area,
no lines
no people ,took only one minute of my life

 

[farhan_9909]

Thank God,I have my telenor sim yet to be verified,rest done

 

[Saifullah Sani]

PTA not to block all unverified SIMs today: chairman

The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) has decided not to block those mobile phone SIMs that have not yet been verified by Thursday midnight, the previously announced deadline for verification of three or more SIMs issued on a single CNIC.

“Subscribers need not panic. All unverified SIMs will not be blocked tonight. Even if some SIMs are blocked, users will still be able to have them reactivated,” said PTA Chairman Dr Ismail Shah.

Speaking to Geo News anchor Shahzeb Khanzada today, Shah said that so far 10 million subscriber identification modules (SIMs) had been so far cancelled or disowned, while biometric verification of 72 million SIMs had been completed.

Shah said that, for the remaining unverified SIMs, subscribers will be individually sent SMS messages to go to their nearest cellular network franchise or retailer to verify their SIMs by a given deadline.

Failure to do so will result in blockage of those SIMs, he said.

However, users will still be able to claim and reactivate those blocked SIMs in the coming weeks, he added.

This entire process will continue for the next 2 to 3 weeks, said the PTA chairman.

The PTA chairman thanked all those subscribers who had taken part in the first phase of the verification process of over 100 million SIMs which began on 12 January.

The first phase targeted only those subscribers who had three or more SIMs issued on a single CNIC.

The second phase of biometric verification for individuals who have two SIMs issued on their CNIC will begin from February 27 and will last until March 14.

The national database from the biometric verification is being compiled as part of the government’s plan to curb terrorism in the wake of the December 16 Taliban attack at the Army Public School in Peshawar, which left over 130 schoolchildren dead.

Since the new measure was announced earlier this year, citizens have been lining up at cellphone stores, in front of mobile vans, and kiosks around the country to scan their fingerprints and verify their identities.

PTA not to block all unverified SIMs today: chairman - thenews.com.pk

 

[Saifullah Sani]

PTA sets April 12 deadline for SIM verification

The Pakistan Telecommuni-cation Authority (PTA) has announced that unverified mobile phone SIMs will be blocked after April 12; however, it has also extended the period – during which a blocked SIM can be unblocked – from two months to six months.

Addressing a news conference on Saturday, PTA chairman Dr Ismail Shah said some 70.5 million SIMs were already verified against 54 million CNICs through the biometric verification system, while 11 million SIMs had been blocked.

In reply to a question, the PTA chairman said intelligence agencies had not shared details of the SIMs used in December 16 terrorist attack on schoolchildren in Peshawar. “[Apparently] investigation sensitivities are involved in the process,” he added.

He also announced that government has decided to suspend mobile phone services in Islamabad on the March 23, when a parade will be held in the federal capital in connection with Pakistan Day.

“We are just supposed to implement the orders [to suspend the services], as sensitive and security issues are involved,” he said, when asked why the services were being suspended.

Commending the role of cellular companies, Dr Shah said they have spent tens of millions of dollars during the SIMs verification process.

“In a bid to support the government in countering terrorism, the telecom industry deployed 15,000 new biometric machines for the SIM re-verification drive in addition to 65,000, which were deployed earlier by all five operators.”

The PTA chief said once the process of SIMs verification completes, the authority, along with cellular companies, will also approach the apex court to seeking removal of certain restrictions on cellular companies, including the restriction on every individual to keep only five SIMs.

He also offered services of the PTA to cellular companies, stating that a marketing plan will be chalked out for them to overcome the business losses which occur during the verification process.

PTA sets April 12 deadline for SIM verification - The Express Tribune