In pursuance of the national security objectives, first time ever, the country's cellular phone industry has shared its complete data on a central platform to clean up illegal subscribers and block illegitimate SIMs - thanks to PTA's 668 initiative. As many as 6.8 million people have hit the 668 service for the correction of data of their SIMs, while 1.04 million unauthorised SIMs have been removed from the names of cell phone users on their request.
In a commendable move, the industry leaders, in collaboration with Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), are fully backing a campaign that requires the subscribers to send their CNIC numbers to a designated short code "668" through SMS and get summary information on the number of SIMs issued under any cellular operator against that CNIC number.
In the past, various campaigns to urge the people to shift their cellular numbers to their names have been run, however they have not met major success. But the current campaign, that provides access to information directly to your cellular number, seems to be making huge waves as millions have already checked their records, and hundreds and thousands of SIMS have already been notified to be shifted or blocked.
However, there are many questions that keep nagging subscribers, who have taken the initiative and actually visited the Customers Services Centres (CSCs) of the Cellular companies. One common misunderstanding is that once you request for disconnection of service against a certain number not in use, it would immediately be removed from the database. The other is that perhaps just by showing the SMS at the CSC would get the job accomplished.
When approached, the PTA spokesperson explained that the change of ownership is immediately affected when the subscriber requests for it, but since the PTA database is updated after a month, therefore, on rechecking through '668', the summary information will not show any change till the data is updated, with the requested SIMs removed from his/her CNIC. Regarding the second issue, he said that under the PTA Standard Operating Procedure (SOP); the customer would be required to produce his/her original CNIC, along with the SMS response, for the processing of his request.
Moreover, the companies are not authorised to show the actual numbers under that CNIC to the complaining customer, but would right away get them removed from his/her CNIC number. Meanwhile, the PTA has also allowed selected franchises across the country to register complaints of subscribers regarding excessive SIMs, but they will forward such cases for correction to the company concerned.
"The increase in the number of outlets from where service disconnection can be requested against illegally-used SIMs would help us deal with the rush of customers, enabling us to clean up the data quickly," industry sources said. They also added that despite the rush on their CSCs, due to the 668 campaign, they are continuously increasing automation and manpower to deal with this important task.
As per data available, around 312,000 complainants have so far visited the Customer Service Centres (CSC) of the concerned mobile operators for their SIM data correction, while more than 9,00,000 illegal SIMs have been removed from the complainants' CNICs after they provided an undertaking.
Those who have visited the CSC are 5.9 percent of total complaints received at the PTA's system through text messages, in the wake of the information provided by "SIM Information system 668" introduced by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). The PTA has also been conducting continued monitoring and customers' perception/satisfaction surveys, which have revealed that the customers are concerned about why and how SIMs have been registered against their CNICs without their knowledge.
The authority found that customers did not take an interest in registering SIMs in their own names, despite the information that it is illegal to use unregistered SIMs and repeated warnings by the PTA and mobile operators about them. Another reason for this problem had been the misuse of the copy of CNICs at the franchisees and retailers of those customers who did not properly fill the CSAF.
In some cases, negligence on the part of consumers, while photocopying their CNIC at different photocopy shops, where the copies are retained by the shop owners for ulterior motives, has also resulted in bringing up this situation. The PTA had informed mobile subscribers that they should write the number of a particular mobile connection on the copy of their CNIC before providing it to the CSCs, franchises and retailers for a new connection.
The Chairman PTA Dr Mohammed Yaseen says that a foolproof, data monitoring and clearance system has been launched to verify and correct data of around 95 million cell phone subscribers and 12.9 million illegal SIMs have been blocked. In an exclusive talk with APP, the Chairman PTA Dr Yaseen said that in the first phase, the PTA had successfully verified data and around 10 million illegal SIMs were blocked. Later, 2.9 million SIMS were blocked in the second phase and any consumer was allowed to own not more than 10 SIM connections.
"However, now we are verifying the data of these 10 SIMs and the data of each and every SIM holder would be verified and corrected. The consumers should contact the relevant telecom operator's customer, consumer center for verification if they receive any message by the operator or their connection would be blocked," he briefed. He said that the PTA wanted 100 percent verified data of the consumers and the PTA website had recorded 1.2 million hits by customers.
"This lower number reflects either that the consumers are satisfied with their data details, or they are reluctant to do so. However, let me make it clear that their SIMs would be blocked if data is not verified within the timeframe," he said, adding that the corrected data details would be available after one month, so that consumers should not get worried after verifying their data.
He said that the PTA was making sure that automated data-verification is made. He urged the media, as well as consumers, to help the PTA and telecom operators to get the consumers' data verified. In view of the problems faced by the mobile users of small cities and towns in seeking their SIMs data correction, the PTA has taken a number of steps. It has allowed to selected franchises to receive complaints regarding SIMs' data, for the convenience of mobile users.
These franchisees are only allowed to register the complaints by filling the undertaking forms, a copy of which they return to the complainant. The franchisees are not allowed to change/amend the data, rather they only forward those complaints to the concerned mobile company, for correction in the data as desired by consumer.
It may be noted that the CSCs of mobile companies are experiencing considerable rush due to the ongoing SIM data-correction process. The PTA has requested mobile users to show patience at the CSCs/franchises, as every effort is being made to ensure the provision of support to them by the CSCs' staff.
Streamlining mobile users' data may take a few months, but once this process is completed, it will eventually benefit telecom consumers. The purpose of this practice is to streamline the data of mobile users which cannot be achieved without their co-operation.
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