Recharge or balance: PTA orders CMOs to give 180-day validity

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has instructed mobile carriers to provide prepaid users with a minimum of 180 days' validity for each top-up or remaining balance, according to Business Recorder. Any balance that lapses while a SIM stays active must be reinstated and usable once the user tops up again. The rules take effect on October 1, 2026, and operators face a ban on unfair commercial conduct during the rollout.

The regulator said the change is meant to shield millions of prepaid customers from permanent loss of unused money. It observed that forfeiture hits low-income users hardest and causes direct financial loss. Around 97 percent of cellular users across Pakistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan are prepaid, the determination noted. The decision followed several complaints about expired balances.

Earlier, the PTA had sought views through a consultation paper on keeping balances valid for the full life of a SIM and on linking them to CNIC. Most public respondents backed permanent validity, while most operators objected to the CNIC model over technical, fraud and cost concerns. Jazz said it already has a system that keeps balances valid while the SIM is active, and the determination also cited a UK approach.