Pakistan Telecommunication Authority mandates new SIM rules and fines Jazz

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has issued new directives to telecom operators to protect consumers from unfair SIM expiry and balance loss practices. Following complaints against Zong and Telenor Pakistan, the regulator has ordered all operators to ensure a minimum validity of 180 days for any recharge or prepaid balance. Under the new rules, effective October 1, any balance that expires while a SIM is active must be automatically restored upon the next recharge.

In a separate enforcement action, the PTA imposed a Rs38.9 million penalty on Jazz (Pakistan Mobile Communication Limited). The fine follows allegations that approximately 400 corporate postpaid SIMs were issued to M/s Target Marketing (Private) Limited without authorization. The regulator noted that Jazz failed to provide complete mandatory documentation, including end-user credentials and proper corporate authorization, during its investigation into the matter.