Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has imposed a Rs38.9 million penalty on Pakistan Mobile Communication Limited (Jazz) over alleged violations involving the issuance, verification, activation, sale and monitoring of around 400 Corporate Postpaid SIMs. The enforcement action follows a complaint from M/s Target Marketing (Private) Limited, which alleged that the connections had been issued in its name without its request, approval, consent or authorization.
According to the enforcement order issued under Section 23 of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act, 1996, Target Marketing claimed that around 400 Corporate Postpaid SIMs were registered under its name without authorization. The company later received a recovery notice through a third-party recovery agency seeking Rs626,360.48 in outstanding payments associated with the connections. The complainant also stated that the SIMs remained active for a considerable period without its knowledge or approval. Following receipt of the complaint, PTA sought relevant records and information from Jazz as part of its investigation. However, the regulator said the operator submitted an incomplete response and did not provide all mandatory corporate authorization documents required under the applicable regulatory framework. Jazz submitted a National Tax Number certificate and an outdated business agreement that identified a point of contact associated with the corporate account. The operator also provided a list of 400 SIMs allegedly registered under that individual’s name, along with requests for additional business connections made between June and August 2021. PTA said the material provided did not establish complete compliance with requirements concerning end-user verification, credential maintenance and the mapping of individual SIMs to their respective users.
PTA highlighted that corporate SIMs are subject to continuous verification and monitoring requirements and that telecom operators are responsible for maintaining proper traceability throughout the lifecycle of such connections. The authority said this responsibility cannot be transferred to corporate customers, franchisees, sales channels or authorized representatives. Jazz had maintained that the matter was primarily a billing or commercial dispute, but PTA rejected that position and treated the case as a regulatory compliance matter. The regulator said the complaint involved alleged failures in systems and procedures governing corporate SIM issuance, verification and post-issuance monitoring. PTA further noted the importance of monitoring and enforcement mechanisms within telecom operators, particularly when handling corporate and bulk SIM provisioning. The findings were linked to requirements under the Subscribers’ Regulations and the relevant Standard Operating Procedure, with PTA determining that Jazz had failed to meet applicable regulatory requirements relating to the issuance, verification, activation and monitoring of the corporate connections.
Following its findings, PTA imposed the Rs38.9 million penalty on Jazz and directed the operator to deposit the amount within 30 days from the issuance of the enforcement order. The authority stated that further legal proceedings could follow if Jazz does not pay the penalty within the specified period. The case places continued attention on the procedures used by telecom operators to issue and manage corporate SIMs, particularly requirements related to authorization, end-user verification, record keeping and monitoring after activation. PTA’s order also makes clear that operators remain responsible for meeting regulatory requirements across the SIM lifecycle, regardless of the involvement of corporate customers, franchisees or sales representatives. The penalty therefore relates specifically to the regulatory findings concerning the approximately 400 Corporate Postpaid SIMs referenced in the complaint and the records examined during PTA’s investigation.
Source: TechJuice Original Report
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