Archive for May 30th, 2008

Blocking Of Unregistered SIMs

Published by Babar Bhatti on May 30, 2008 under Consumer Rights, GSM, Government Regulations, Mobile Companies, Security

Do you know if your SIM is really registered in your name? What happens if your SIM is not registered at all? Till recently it was not a big deal but now your SIM may be blocked. PTA has been making announcements about SIM data verification for a while (see this story). PTA has also sent tough signals by raiding and closing some franchises which did not follow the guidelines for registration. But this time the burden is directly on consumers: no matter who sold you the SIM, if it is not registered properly then it is subject to service blocking. See the warning notice from PTA.

As one can imagine this is a major problem for consumers. According to some estimates 7 million SIMs could be impacted. Some blocking has already started though I am not sure of the total number (1.4 million according to a source). It is a subject of debate on who is responsible for this mess but for sure consumers have to suffer and pay the price. This is what happens when government policies are not implemented consistently.

According to this post from MobilePakistan, subscribers can send a blank sms to 667 to get information about the registration status of their SIM. In case there’s an issue “you have to take the SIM along with a photostat copy of your National Identity Card to your mobile phone company’s Authorised Office and get the SIM ownership transferred in your name.”

Local media has given July 1st as the new effective date of this blocking. I think more time should be given to the public to clean up the mess created by the govt agencies. And there should be better communication and tools to help the consumers. There should be an online tool to tell you if the SIM is unregistered or not. This can help the expat Pakistanis who often buy a SIM when they are visiting home and then go back abroad.

After all is said and done this could help (to some extent) with a few things such as pranks, hackers and other abuse. At least people will realize that there are some rules to be followed - even in today’s Pakistan.