PTA orders telcos to give prepaid balances 180-day validity

Summary The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has directed telecom companies to adopt a uniform policy for the validity of prepaid SIM balances and recharges. The regulator issued the directions after receiving complaints from subscribers who said their unused prepaid balances were being forfeited when the validity period expired. The PTA has now ordered all telecom operators to provide a minimum validity of 180 days for prepaid recharge and balance amounts. AI Generated Summary The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has directed telecom companies to adopt a uniform policy for the validity of prepaid SIM balances and recharges. The regulator issued the directions after receiving complaints from subscribers who said their unused prepaid balances were being forfeited when the validity period expired. According to PTA officials, complaints were particularly raised against Zong and Telenor Pakistan, which is now part of PTCL. Subscribers said some operators required them to maintain a minimum balance during the active period of their SIMs. They also complained that unused balances were not carried forward after making a new recharge. The PTA has now ordered all telecom operators to provide a minimum validity of 180 days for prepaid recharge and balance amounts. Under the new policy, any balance that expires during the active life of a SIM will be restored when the customer makes another recharge. The restored amount will then become available for use, in line with the Telecom Consumers Protection Regulations. The regulator has also warned telecom companies against adopting unfair commercial practices while implementing the decision. The new policy will come into effect from October 1. The decision follows repeated concerns from consumers over the loss of unused prepaid credit. Subscribers had argued that the practice placed an unnecessary financial burden on customers, particularly those with limited incomes. The PTA noted that prepaid connections account for about 97 per cent of all mobile subscribers across Pakistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. The regulator therefore said protecting unused balances was important for a large majority of telecom users. The authority's move is expected to bring greater consistency among operators and prevent customers from losing prepaid credit simply because its validity period has expired.