Averting unauthorised SIM usage: PTA launches 'SIM Information System'

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has launched "SIM Information System-668," which would enable the mobile subscribers to know the total number of SIMs issued against their respective CNIC number, with each mobile operator.
Secretary Information Technology and Telecom, Naguib Ullah Malik, chief guest on the occasion, inaugurated the new system at the forum organised by the PTA, under the theme "Together for Consumer Rights," here Thursday. On this occasion, Malik said the government is facilitating telecom industry so that it continues to grow. He affirmed that the government wanted development in the telecom sector, which was growing at fast pace during the last few years.
About the system, he appreciated this initiative taken by PTA and said that it is crucial to safeguard our communication systems so that they don't fall into the wrong hands and for that purpose, this new system introduced by PTA, will play an effective role.
Addressing the consumer forum, Chairman PTA Dr Mohammed Yaseen, who presided over the forum, said the launching of this new service is yet another evidence of PTA's sincerity towards its vision of protection of telecom consumers and their rights. He said that every mobile user can know number of SIMs issued against his CNIC with the mobile company name, by sending his CNIC number without dashes and spaces to 668 through SMS. Rs 2/- will be charged on each SMS, which is inclusive of all taxes. In case of unauthorised numbers against his CNIC number, a consumer can get the data corrected from the concerned mobile operator's Customer Services Centre.
He elaborated that the system provides an Internet and SMS-based interface to end-users in order to retrieve the registered mobile SIMs information. He said that it is a robust, secure and efficient system to store a record size of approximately 100 million subscribers' data. The system ensures proper data integrity mechanism, while answering back to multiple queries at a specific time.
Yaseen further said that the unauthorised SIM owners will be advised to register the SIM in their names within seven days of notification from concerned Customer Services Centres, otherwise their calling facility will be stopped after thirteen days. The SIM will be completely blocked after seventeen days of that notice. This service will help in further streamlining the data of mobile phone users.
Chairman PTA said that in order to address the issue of unauthorised SIMs, PTA first revamped the system of sale and registration of SIMs and now, it has introduced this service. The PTA efforts, in this regard, are Mobile Number Portability (MNP), system to block stolen mobiles through IMEI number, establishment of Consumer Protection Department, 7 to 8 digit numbering plan for fixed line, new consumer friendly SIM activation system, and lowest telecom tariffs amidst competitive environment. He also said the authority revamped complaint-handling mechanism of mobile companies, PTCL and other telecom operators.
Yaseen pointed that the statistics of telecom growth in Pakistan are evident of the satisfaction level of telecom consumers with the quality of telecom services. He said that the overall teledensity in the country has reached 61.80 percent. There are currently 95.54 million mobile subscribers, and the cellular segment leads the share in total teledensity followed by Fixed Land Line (FLL) with 3.5 million subscribers and Wireless Local Loop (WLL) with 2.6 million total subscribers.
President Pakistan Consumers Association, Kokab Iqbal and representatives of cellular, fixed line and broadband services gave presentations on the occasion. Member (Technical) PTA, Dr Khawar Siddique Khokhar, renowned poet Amjad Islam Amjad, representatives of Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Cellular Mobile and Fixed Line sectors, telecom consumer groups, academia and the media community were also present on the occasion.