PTA is preparing to overhaul the process for mobile subscriber identity module card registration in Pakistan by introducing a dual-layer biometric verification system that will require both fingerprint scanning and facial recognition before a new connection can be issued. The move comes in direct response to persistent misuse of the existing biometric framework, through which fraudsters have been obtaining unauthorised subscriber identity module cards by using silicone replicas of fingerprints or by stealing the identities of unsuspecting individuals to pass through the current single-layer verification process.
PTA’s chairman has directed the rapid implementation of the facial verification system, which is being designed in accordance with international standards to ensure both its integrity and its compatibility with the broader regulatory environment. Officials confirmed that the updated dual-verification process will make subscriber identity module card registration significantly more secure and will close the technical loopholes that have allowed fabricated fingerprints to be used in circumventing the existing safeguards. The enhanced system is expected to play a meaningful role in preventing fraud and other criminal activities by ensuring that subscriber identity module cards are issued only to individuals who have been fully and accurately verified through two distinct biometric indicators rather than one.
The subscriber identity module registration announcement follows a separate regulatory measure introduced by PTA last month, which restricted telecom operators from revising mobile package rates on a monthly basis. Under that updated policy, pricing for call, short message service, and data packages can now be adjusted only on a quarterly basis, a decision taken in response to a growing volume of consumer complaints about frequent and unpredictable tariff increases. Operators are also required to review the previous year’s pricing before making any adjustments to their packages going forward, a step intended to bring greater consistency and transparency to how mobile subscription costs are managed and communicated to subscribers across Pakistan.
Follow the SPIN IDG WhatsApp Channel for updates across the Smart Pakistan Insights Network covering all of Pakistan’s technology ecosystem.
