As it has turned out to be, mobile phone users will have to pay Rs. 10 per CNIC for re-verification of SIMs of each operator, we have checked with sources.
As you may know that SIM re-verification exercise is about to begin in a day or two at most and telecom operators are given 90 days for re-verification of 103 million SIMs.
While finalized SOPs from Pakistan Telecommunication Authority are scheduled to be issued today evening, we have confirmed with sources that end users will have to bear a verification fee of Rs. 10 per CNIC per transaction.
For example if a customer goes to Service Centre, Franchise or a retailer of one company and re-verifies his/her all SIMs for this particular company than he will have to pay Rs. 10 per this operator.
Similarly, if he goes to another operator for SIM re-verification, then he will have to give another Rs. 10 for re-verification of all SIMs of this second operator, and so on.
Telecom operators say that this Rs. 10 per transaction is processing fee that will be given to retailers as an incentive. They say that there is no other way to keep retailers engaged with re-verification process as otherwise they might simply refuse to re-verify customers due to the hassle involved in the process.
Telcos clearly told ProPakistani that this processing fee of Rs. 10 per transaction will be kept by retailers and operators won’t share a penny from this fee.
Telecom companies are planing to give incentive to customers for re-verification of SIMs (in shape of free minutes, SMS) so this Rs. 10 per transaction fee is somehow justified.
Customers will clearly dislike the fee, considering that they will have to spare time and make effort by going out to service centres, franchises of each operator to get their SIMs re-verified and now this additional fee of Rs. 10 is surely going to put further burden on their shoulders.
Whatever the case is, the decision has been made and customers will have to pay Rs. 10 for each re-verification transaction, unless it is reversed by PTA at a later stage.
