ISLAMABAD – Telecom regulator tightened noose on SIM registration violations, imposong combined Rs233 million in penalties on famous companies Zong and Telenor.
It started as citizen’s complaint about unauthorized SIMs and an inspection of an unapproved sales kiosk which eventually exposed compliance failures, and alleged breaches of subscriber verification rules, prompting officials to take tough enforcement actions against telecom operators.
A report shared by Tech Juice shared details of case against Zong after a user’s routine complaint. A complainant approached regulator after discovering two SIM cards had been issued and activated against his ID Card without his knowledge or consent, which led to raids on two Zong franchise outlets in Lahore last year.
During the inspections, officials seized biometric verification devices, laptops, mobile phones and a large number of SIM cards deemed suspicious. A case was registered as investigators sought to determine how the unauthorized activations had occurred.
PTI finds that the operator failed to ensure physical presence of subscribers during SIM registration, and noted shortcomings in the implementation of Live Finger Detection (LFD) technology, a safeguard designed to prevent biometric misuse.
One biometric device was found to have processed an unusually high number of SIM registrations involving female CNIC holders across different districts, while another showed concentrated activation activity outside its designated territory, per report.
Amid stern action, Zong maintained that all SIM registrations were conducted through PTA-approved biometric systems and said internal reviews found no evidence of manipulation or procedural breaches. The company argued that the devices flagged by regulator shows only small fraction of its overall franchise operations and that activation patterns remained within normal business parameters.
Under existing regulations, telecom operators remain accountable for every SIM issued on their networks, regardless of the sales channel used. PTA imposed a penalty of Rs116.7 million and directed the company to deposit the amount within ten days.
In a similar case, Telenor Pakistan also comes on radar as PTA allegedly uncovered an unauthorized sales operation inside Khyber Teaching Hospital in KP capital. The investigation started in mid-2025 when PTA officials inspected Telenor sales kiosk operating within the hospital premises.
PTA found that customer relationship management (CRM) access had allegedly been extended to kiosk through a VPN connection, allowing the operator to perform sensitive functions normally restricted to authorized franchise locations. These functions included SIM activations, SIM replacements and subscriber-related transactions using CNIC and Afghan Proof of Registration documents.
The telecom company then informed PTA that it had terminated the employee involved, fined the franchisee and revoked the relevant system access, but PTA found same employee operating from the same location using the same credentials and equipment in follow up round.
Telenor argued that the incident was the result of misconduct by an individual franchise employee acting independently of the company. It also maintained that no unauthorized transactions had been processed through its systems.
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