PTA Fines Telecom Firms Rs740m Over Illegal SIM Issuance

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has imposed fines totaling Rs740 million on mobile companies over illegal SIM issuance, after finding that connections were activated against citizens’ identity cards without their consent. The development was reported from Islamabad on Thursday and has become a major consumer-protection and digital-security issue.

According to the regulator, the action followed findings that SIM cards had been issued on people’s CNICs without proper permission. PTA held all four mobile companies responsible for serious violations in the SIM issuance process, saying the operators failed to maintain effective control over their sales and verification networks.

The authority found that weaknesses in franchise supervision and biometric verification practices allowed irregular activations to take place. In such cases, consumers may remain unaware that active mobile connections exist in their names until those numbers are linked to fraud, harassment, financial crime or law-enforcement inquiries.

PTA directed the mobile companies to deposit the fines within the stipulated period and warned that further legal proceedings could follow if the penalties are not paid. The regulator also made clear that violations committed by franchises would be treated as the responsibility of the parent mobile operator, not as isolated actions outside company control.

The official position reflects a wider concern that telecom operators cannot rely only on the existence of biometric systems while failing to ensure that subscribers are physically present and genuinely consenting at the time of SIM activation. The regulator’s move signals that oversight of retailers, franchises and verification devices will now face closer scrutiny.

Illegal SIM issuance has long been a sensitive issue in Pakistan because mobile numbers are deeply linked with digital payments, banking alerts, social media accounts, identity verification and policing. A SIM obtained through another person’s CNIC can expose the victim to identity theft, cyber fraud and possible misuse of telecommunications infrastructure.

Pakistan introduced biometric verification to reduce fake or unregistered mobile connections, but enforcement challenges have persisted at the retail level. Weak monitoring, misuse of verification devices and poor compliance checks can undermine the system even when subscriber databases and identity platforms are formally in place.

For telecom users, the case highlights the need to regularly check how many SIMs are registered against their CNICs and immediately report suspicious connections. For mobile operators, the fines could lead to stricter franchise audits, tighter internal controls and renewed pressure to strengthen biometric safeguards.

The next phase will depend on whether the companies pay the penalties, challenge the action or submit compliance plans to the regulator. PTA is expected to continue enforcement against illegal SIM issuance as Pakistan’s digital economy expands and the protection of telecom subscribers becomes increasingly tied to national cybersecurity and financial safety.