PTA announces fee for disowning SIM cards

WEB DESK: Starting from the beginning of next year, individuals looking to disown their SIM cards will incur a charge of Rs200 per SIM, as announced by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Friday.

This new fee will be applicable nationwide starting January 1.

Until December 31, the PTA is permitting citizens to disown or return their SIM cards without incurring any charges.

The telecom authority encourages consumers to take advantage of this opportunity, highlighting that doing so not only helps them avoid SIM disowning fees but also contributes to the responsible usage of SIMs.

In cases where illegal SIMs are issued without the knowledge or consent of consumers, a one-time waiver will be granted.

The PTA has instructed mobile companies to establish a mechanism to address concerns raised by consumers with illegally issued SIMs registered under their Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs).

The objective is to ensure that such customers are not burdened with the cost of disowning these SIMs.

To verify the status of SIMs registered under their CNICs, mobile users can visit the website “cnic.sims.pk” or send an SMS with their CNIC number to 668.

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According to Dawn, this initiative, started in 2016, addresses concerns related to the widespread distribution of free SIM cards by mobile operators and the potential misuse of these cards.

PTA documents highlight instances where consumers, whether intentionally or unintentionally, hand over their SIMs to unauthorised individuals, often for financial gain.

Once identified, these SIMs are disowned by users, leading to disconnection. Subsequently, users frequently obtain new SIMs from different operators, perpetuating the cycle.