Illegal SIMs | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

SIMs verification in given time a hard task

Pakistan Press Foundation

ISLAMABAD – The government is considering to extend last date for the biometric verification of mobile SIMs, as during the first 29 days only 31 million out of out of 103 million SIMs could be verified. The government is certain that it would re-verify all the SIMs in the country, and to achieve this goal, […]


Govt likely to extend biometric SIMs verification deadline date

Pakistan Press Foundation

LAHORE: The government is likely to extend the date of biometric mobile SIM verification as only 31 million SIMs were verified out of 103 million cell-phone users in the country during the first 29 days since the biometric verification started. The government, after the Peshawar tragic incident, has decided under the National Action Plan to […]


Broadband subscriptions increase by 18%

Pakistan Press Foundation

KARACHI: The telecom sector increased the number of mobile broadband subscriptions by 18% in December 2014, but the industry’s overall cellular subscriber base shrank by more than 1% in the same month, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) revealed on Monday. The total number of third-generation (3G) subscriptions increased to 5.7 million at the end of […]


Unverified SIMs

Pakistan Press Foundation

Unverified SIMsThe discovery of 5000 illegal SIMs in May 2014, held by just one apprehended terrorist in Karachi, came as a rude surprise to the otherwise highly informed Sindh Assembly. It is for just such occasions that Mir Taqi Mir wrote his famous couplet “jaane na jaane gul hi na jaane baagh to sara jaane […]


2 million unverified SIMs blocked

Pakistan Press Foundation

ISLAMABAD: More than two million SIMs have been blocked across the country under a campaign launched by the government for authentication of details of mobile phone subscribers. Earlier this month the government gave Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) 91 days to verify 103 million SIMs issued before August last year but not verified through the Biometric […]


SIMs retailers complain about harassment by law enforcers

Pakistan Press Foundation

KARACHI: Cellular SIMs retailers on Tuesday complained about ‘harassment’ by law enforcers and feared the ‘coercive’ modus operandi may dislodge the entire re-verification process of customers through Biometric Verification System. Retailers said the government had assigned them a ‘big’ project to re-verify over 103 million SIMs across Sindh but the law enforcers’ actions pushed them […]


Scrutiny of 103m unverified SIMs begins

Pakistan Press Foundation

ISLAMABAD: A working group constituted by interior ministry and comprising members from interior and information technology ministries, mobile phone operators, Nadra, the Federal Investigation Authority, Intelligence Bureau and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) began verifying over 100 million unverified SIMs (subscriber identification modules) on Monday, PTA chief said on Wednesday. PTA Chairman Dr Ismail Shah told […]


Sim verification has a silver lining?

Pakistan Press Foundation

Cellular firms will hate us for saying this, but the impending Sims re-verification process may unlock some opportunities for them. As per government directive, between January 12 and April 14, within next three months, roughly 100 million cellular subscriptions (about 60-70 million individuals, according to informal estimates) would have to be biometrically verified. (For more […]


The SIM scene

Pakistan Press Foundation

In fighting the multi-faceted war against militancy, we not only have to defeat the TTP and its allies but ensure they can never rise again. One of the many things that need to be done is to destroy their communications network. According to the government, there are over 100 million unregistered SIMs. It has now […]


Phone firms agree to verify 100 million unverified SIMs in three months

Pakistan Press Foundation

ISLAMABAD: The mobile phone companies have finally agreed to verify 100 million unverified SIMs (subscriber identity modules) in 90 days. Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan was informed during a meeting here on Friday that of the 140m unverified SIMs, 40m have been verified so far. And an agreement has been reached with the […]


First phase to begin on January 12

Pakistan Press Foundation

HYDERABAD: The first phase of biometric registration of subscriber identity modules (SIMs) is expected to start from January 12 under which people having more than three SIMs registered against their national identity card will be asked to provide their biometric record by the end of February. “The process will begin immediately after the federal government […]


Illegal SIMs use in terror activities: Rangers warn mobile phone firms

Pakistan Press Foundation

KARACHI: The Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, have warned all the mobile phone companies that their respective executives will be booked for terrorism if a phone connection sold in violation of set rules is found to have been used in any terror activity, it emerged on Monday. In a letter sent to the regional headquarters of Mobilink, […]


FIA starts crackdown on illegal SIMs

Pakistan Press Foundation

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), under the directives of Interior Ministry, has started crackdown against illegal SIMs across the country. A spokesperson for the ministry said that action was being taken against all illegal telephone exchanges in the country. “In the first phase, 34 people were arrested and over 6,000 illegal SIMs were recovered […]


Illegal SIMs

Pakistan Press Foundation

THE discovery of 5,000 illegal SIMs held by a recently apprehended terrorist in Karachi, should not have come as a rude surprise to the Sindh Assembly. It is for such occasions that poet Mir Taqi Mir wrote his famous couplet: ‘Jaane na jaane gul hi na jaane baagh to sara jaane hai’. One must also […]