The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has imposed a fine of Rs38.9 million on Pakistan Mobile Communication Limited (Jazz) over alleged violations related to the issuance, verification, activation and monitoring of around 400 corporate postpaid SIMs.
The penalty was imposed through an enforcement order issued under Section 23 of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act, 1996, following a complaint lodged by M/s Target Marketing (Private) Limited.
According to the complaint, nearly 400 corporate SIMs had been issued in the company’s name without its request, consent or authorisation. The firm maintained that it became aware of the matter only after receiving a recovery notice from a third-party agency seeking payment of outstanding dues amounting to Rs626,360.48 for SIMs allegedly registered against its name.
The complainant also alleged that the SIMs remained active for a significant period without its knowledge or approval.
In its order, the PTA said it sought relevant records from Jazz after receiving the complaint. However, the regulator found that the operator’s response was incomplete and did not include mandatory corporate authorisation documents or end-user credentials required under the applicable regulatory framework.
The authority said Jazz submitted an NTN certificate, an older business agreement identifying a point of contact, a list of 400 SIMs reportedly registered under that individual’s name, and requests for additional business connections made between June and August 2021.
The regulator concluded that the documents provided did not establish compliance with mandatory requirements relating to end-user verification, maintenance of subscriber credentials and the mapping of issued SIMs to individual users.
The PTA observed that telecom operators remain responsible for ensuring proper verification, monitoring and traceability of corporate SIMs throughout their lifecycle. It said these regulatory obligations cannot be transferred to corporate customers, franchisees, sales channels or authorised representatives.
The authority also dismissed Jazz’s argument that the matter was primarily a commercial or billing dispute, stating that the case instead involved alleged systemic failures to comply with regulations governing the issuance, verification and post-issuance monitoring of corporate SIMs.
The order further emphasised that effective internal monitoring and enforcement mechanisms are a key part of the regulatory framework, particularly for corporate and bulk SIM provisioning.
Following its findings, the PTA ruled that Jazz had failed to comply with the relevant provisions of the Subscribers’ Regulations and the applicable Standard Operating Procedure governing the issuance, verification, activation and monitoring of corporate SIMs.
The regulator has directed Jazz to deposit the Rs38.9m penalty within 30 days of the issuance of the order, warning that failure to comply would result in further legal proceedings.
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