SIMs Reverification - [UPDATE] Extended till April 14th! (FAQs Added)

Earlier deadline of February 27th, 2015 for blocking of un-verified SIMs is extended till April 14th, 2015, we have confirmed with sources.
According to earlier reports and communication from PTA and cellular companies, customers were suppose to get their SIMs re-verified before February 26th, 2015.

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Any un-verified SIM till Feb 26th, 2015 was to get blocked on February 27th, 2015. However, now the deadline of Feb 27th, 2015 for blocking of SIMs has been moved to April 14th, 2015.
[h=3]No SIM to get blocked on February 27th, 2015, however, any un-verified SIM till April 13th, 2015 will get blocked immediately after the expiry of deadline[/h]Below is one of the PTA ad that was advertised in Print and elsewhere for blocking of any un-verified SIMs till February 26th:

Interestingly, as per our sources and the SOP, there was no Feb 27th deadline for blocking of SIMs and this deadline (of Feb 26th) was communicated by PTA and cellular companies just to create alertness in the subscribers.
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Also Read:

• Reverification Drive: 47.4 Million SIMs Reverified, 5.6 million SIMs Blocked
• Customers Fail to Re-Verify SIMs as Thumb Impressions Miss-Match
• Telcos Ranking to Change after SIM Re-Verification: Experts

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This trick, we believe, worked to an extent and majority of customers are now aware that their SIMs will get blocked unless they don’t re-verify their SIMs through biometric verification system.
Telecom operators have so far verified 50 million SIMs while another few millions have been blocked. All in all, almost 50% of 103 million SIMs are yet to be verified till the new deadline i.e. April 13th, 2015.
Reportedly, telecom companies and PTA are in a high-level meeting as of now to discuss the working order of re-verifying remaining SIMs. New communication modes, broadcast messages and strategy to re-verify maximum number of SIMs is being discussed.
Operators are likely to get aggressive with their re-verification tools, as re-verification of remaining customers (especially those in rural areas) is going to pose a serious challenge

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Since each and every SIM is now associated with finger prints of users, who can be tracked one way or the other through NADRA records, the rule of 5 SIMs per CNIC should be removed.
Efforts will be made to request the apex court to void its earlier decision according to which no individual in Pakistan could have more than 5 SIMs (of one or more operators) per CNIC.

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This was stated by Dr. Ismail Shah, Chairman PTA, during a press conference this Saturday.
Chairman explained that the rule of 5 SIMs per CNIC was implemented on directions of a Supreme Court directive, which was based on security situation in the country and when SIMs were not properly registered.
While each and every SIM in Pakistan will be able to be traced, due to re-verification of all cellular users, PTA will make required efforts to get past this decision now.
Dr. Ismail further said that having more than 5 SIMs on a single CNIC shouldn’t be a security concern any more. He further said that with changing market trends consumers now require more SIMs than ever before.
For example, considering the phenomenon of “Internet of Things”, consumer may need one SIM for phone, another for dongle, another for laptop, one another for car for tracking service, another for security camera (which can be on 3G to communicate with server) and the list goes on.
Dr. Ismail said that cellular data will play a key role in upcoming times and this is where SIMs should be made freely available, given they are properly registered and tied to customers who can be traced in case of any criminal activity.
Dr. Ismail said that PTA will peruse on reversal of this rule after the end of SIM-Reverification campaign.

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The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has announced to block mobile phone services on the special occasion of Pakistan Resolution Day that will witness military parade in full glory after 7 year of gap. But, this time, the suspension of mobile services is limited to Islamabad only as said by the authority. The announcement has been made during the joint press conference by Telecom operators and government, held in Islamabad recently.

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