A senior Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) official said subscribers had lodged complaints against Zong and Telenor Pakistan, now owned by PTCL, over the validity and forfeiture of prepaid balances.
According to the official, consumers objected to requirements to maintain a minimum balance during the active period of their SIMs, saying failure to do so could eventually result in cancellation of the SIM. Subscribers also complained that unused balances were not carried forward after a subsequent recharge.
Zong and Ufone/Telenor did not respond to queries on the matter, while a Jazz official said a SIM remained active for 90 days, followed by a 180-day quarantine period before it could be recycled.
The official said Jazz’s policy allowed dormant SIMs to remain in the recycling process for up to 720 days, after which the previous owner could no longer claim rights over the number.
Under a determination issued by the PTA, all telecom operators have been directed to provide a minimum validity of 180 days for prepaid recharge balances.
The regulator said any expired balance would be automatically restored and made available upon a subsequent recharge during the SIM’s active period, in accordance with the Telecom Consumers Protection Regulations.
The decision will come into effect on October 1, with telecom operators barred from adopting unfair commercial practices while implementing the policy.
The PTA said it had received several complaints from subscribers over the loss of unused prepaid balances after their validity periods expired.
Consumers argued that the non-adjustment of remaining balances placed an undue financial burden on subscribers, particularly those from low-income groups.
The regulator noted that around 97 per cent of mobile subscribers in Pakistan, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan use prepaid services.
