SIM date provided by telecom companies: PTA takes note of alleged discrepancies

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has taken a serious note of the alleged discrepancies in data of Subscriber Identity Module (SIMs) submitted by telecom companies after the Biometric Verification System (BVS) drive, it is learnt.
Official sources revealed to Business Recorder that PTA has directed all telecom operators to provide monthly subscribers information as per the definition of International Telecom Union (90 days active subscribers) but only BVS verified. Out of target of 103 million active SIMs, 75.5 million SIMs were re-verified while 27.5 million active SIMs were blocked by 15th May 2015 which brought down the number of active SIMs from 139 million to 111.5 million. According to the latest figures, the subscribers' number has surged to 115.4 million at present.
Sources said that SIMs' verification through BVS was made part of the National Action Plan (NAP) to avoid its misuse; however the inordinate delay in the third party audit of verified SIMs has put the credibility of the entire drive at stake. According to the PTA official website the subscribers of a telecom operator increased by about one million during March-April, at a time when the sale of new SIMs was banned at retailers, which raises question marks about the credibility of BVS drive. The number of subscribers of other telecom operators declined during this period.
Further, after the conclusion of BVS drive, Interior Ministry had directed PTA to carry-out a third party audit of the entire exercise to verify its authenticity. In this regard, Expression of Interest (EoI) for hiring of a third party auditor was floated. Over two months have passed but the Authority is silent on this initiative.
PTA chairman Syed Ismail Shah told Business Recorder that operators have been asked to submit monthly subscribers' information of 90 days active subscribers which have been verified through BVS. The action was taken to ensure that operators submitted verified data and avoid any untoward situations. Replying to a question PTA chairman said that ten companies had responded against the EOI issued for third-party audit where seven companies were shortlisted. Due to security clearance issue, the process took a little longer, said Shah, adding that the process would be completed soon to ensure the success of BVS drive.
Shah said that stern action against telecom operators would be taken if found to be submitting wrong SIMs data after the BVS including show-cause notices and heavy penalties as per the law. Once the third-party audit of telecom operators' data is completed, it would be made public, PTA chairman concluded.