ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has decided to replace old biometric verification with live finger detection (LFD) devices for issuing sim cards.
Reports said the move came as fake sim cards have become a huge challenge for Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
PTA officials said around 0.3 million SIM biometric centers will be shifted to LFD across Pakistan and officials have also instructed the operators to switch to LFD devices in stages.
In the first phase, mobile operators started verifying SIM LFD devices at most places. Officials said that around 0.58 million SIMs have been identified to be registered in the name of the deceased people while the mobile operators and franchisees have been implicated in the fake SIMs.
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Meanwhile, telecom operators have also pointed out mistakes in LFD devices. They also claimed that it is difficult to buy new machines for the new system every day.
In 2008, Pakistan had introduced a SIM ownership verification system 667. A customer was required to provide the original ID details and a thumbprint to get a mobile SIM.
