Archive for November 1st, 2008

Send SMS To 667 To Verify Your SIM Ownership

Published by Babar Bhatti on November 1, 2008 under Business, Government Regulations, Mobile Companies, PTA, Privacy, SIM, SMS, Security

As covered here before, the process to get a new SIM has undergone many changes. The franchises are following the PTA guidelines strictly as well. You need to provide the original NIC and a thumb print to get a SIM. The franchises are connected online (and via their mobile phones) to NADRA systems to verify the NIC. Individuals can send a blank message to 667 to verify their ownership. The response includes the name of the person and the NIC number. If you just purchased a new SIM then the data is not available for a few days and you’ll get a message with Unknown name and 1111 as NIC.

Do you see any security and privacy issues? There is no security mechanism (such as a PIN). Anyone who gets a hold of your phone can get the name and NIC. If you lose your phone then the thief can know your name and NIC number.

High Tech Hajj

Published by Babar Bhatti on November 1, 2008 under GPS, ICT, Mobile Applications, Mobile Phones, SMS, Telecommunications, Value Added Services

I have mixed feelings about Telenor’s free text messaging service for Pakistanis on Hajj. Should we be happy for the free messages for those on the pilgrimage or concerned that we are turning important life events in text messaging rituals? I definitely don’t want to sound ungrateful for the free text messaging offer by Telenor. I also don’t want to pass any judgement on the practice of sharing good news with your loved ones (Main ne Qurbani ker li ).

But I confess that I am not comfortable with the idea of a mobile phone playing a disproportionate role during one of the most important events in one’s life. As technology becomes pervasive, personal and religious events such as Hajj will become more and more high tech with almost real time updates. You could even have a GPS phone and track the activity of a person over the web. Where do we draw the line? In the end all such things are personal and the individual is the best judge on what is acceptable or not. 

By the way its a smart business move by Telenor … the service requires users to activate international roaming — and once roaming is there, people may start making calls as well. On a side note I must say that Telenor walks a fine line with the parallel Islamic services and the Djuice brand (fun to be young). After all, why miss any market segment?