Islamabad: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and cellular companies have agreed for the re-verification of SIMs issued to subscribers across Pakistan. According to sources, verification of all SIMs issued before 1st August 2014 will be completed within this year.
A deadline will be announced soon after which unregistered SIMs will be blocked. The process of re-verification will be started after issuance of the notification which is expected in the next couple of days. The exercise is likely to start on January 12, 2015. However, it may take a year to complete.
Following heated debate from government ministries and telecom authorities on re-verification of SIMs in Pakistan, it is decided that the process of re-verification will take place, however the condition of fulfilling the task within 28 days deadline has been removed by the government. After negotiations between the PTA, Ministry of IT and Telecom and Ministry of Interior, all the parties have estimated that the process may take a year to be completed.
According to the unconfirmed reports, re-verification of SIMs will be completed in five steps. The authorities are determined to re-register each and every issued SIM and not leave a single SIM without biometric authentication.
However, Ministry of Interior has repeatedly emphasized the cellular industry to complete the task as soon as possible.