PTA orders 180-day validity on every prepaid recharge

Business Recorder reported that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has ordered every cellular mobile operator to guarantee a minimum of 180 days of validity for each recharge or balance. Expired balances must also be reinstated and made usable once the subscriber recharges again. The change becomes effective on October 1, 2026, and aims to stop prepaid users from losing unused funds permanently.

According to the regulator, roughly 97 percent of cellular subscribers in Pakistan, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan use prepaid services, and forfeiture particularly affects low-income consumers. The PTA acted after receiving several complaints about unused balances being lost once their validity periods ended. It described the resulting loss as a direct financial burden on consumers.

Before deciding, the PTA ran a consultation on two options: permanent validity for balances while a SIM stays active, and CNIC-linked balances that could be restored or refunded. Most members of the public favoured permanent validity, while most operators objected to the CNIC model over technical, fraud and cost concerns. Jazz said it already offered validity for the life of a SIM, and the regulator also pointed to practice in the UK.