The 13th November directive of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has been disapproved by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Raja Pervez Ashraf, in which at the franchise, service centers or retailers, the mobile operators were asked to not to sell new connections, instead to the subscribers’ home addresses given on their CNIC’s, the SIMs were to be dispatched.
Today, after meeting the CEO’s of all the cellular companies at the Prime Minister House in Islamabad, this announcement was made by the Prime Minister, as told by a source.
All the directions that were issued in the November 13th directive of PTA, has been reportedly agreed to withdraw by the Prime Minister.
To ensure customer verification through thumb impression before selling the SIMs, the cellular companies have agreed to deploy biometric solutions on their franchise, service centers and retailers, as suggested by the initial information that we are getting.
PM Disapproves Sale of SIMs through Courier Services, Ban on MNP
After the due verification from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), the mobile companies, from their self owned and operated business centers as well as franchise centers, will continue to sell SIM cards. Until the biometric devices are deployed at each retailer store, the sale of SIMs from retail network shall remain suspended.
Before the issuance of SIMs, it is learned that in cellular companies’ database, the pictures of customers will also be stored.
Within two months, biometric solutions for customers’ verification should be deployed by Mobile phone companies, as directed.
Earlier restriction imposed on mobile number portability (MNP) has been withdrawn by the Prime Minister and he said that due to high integrity of data, the present arrangement of number portability would continue. He also said that it should be ensure, the verification of IMEI numbers of handset.
To streamline the import and local assembling of cellular handsets in the country and ensuring that all the headsets bear unique identification numbers (IMEI) and banning the headsets without IMEI and duplicate IMEI, the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Information technology are directed by the Prime Minister, Raja Pervez Ashraf, to immediately sit with Customs and other relevant authorities.
The Advisor of Prime Minister on IT, Dr. Basit Riaz, Secretary Interior Khawaja Siddique Akbar, Chairman PTA Mr. Farooq Awan, Secretary IT and other senior officials, are those people who attended the meeting.
