In the ongoing campaign against unregistered/unverified cellular connections, the government has blocked a total of 10.5 million connections out of 90 million connections in Pakistan.
This was told in a high level meeting chaired by Dr. Mohammad Yaseen Chairman PTA, and involved chief executive officers of all cellular companies to discuss the progress of different deadlines given by the PTA for blocking of unregistered SIMs, blocking of more than 10 connections on single computerised national identity card numbers (CNICs) and on the proposed project for “Activation of SIMs After Verification”.
Below is excerpt from Business Recorder regarding this..
The PTA Chairman informed the CEOs that a considerable improvement had been seen in the verification process, however, the PTA felt that unless sale of Preactive SIMs were not stopped, full implementation on the SOP would not be possible.
The meeting discussed in detail the proposed system under which company would sell non activated SIMs and the mobile companies would activate the SIM after verification of subscriber’s antecedents from the Nadra.
The proposed system will have number of advantages. The control of sale/ verification will shift from franchisee/retailers to mobile companies; it will have added security parameters and being automated will be more reliable.
Since this is new concept, which requires considerable operational and administrative arrangements, therefore, the PTA Chairman formulated a working group of cellular mobile companies, Nadra and the PTA to propose workable solution so that all aspects of verification is catered by October 20 2008.