ISLAMABAD - Despite the strict government orders to complete SIMs biometric verification within 28 days, mobile companies have conveyed their inability to complete the task within the given time saying it can take a year.
Not only the task cannot be completed within the given time but it could cost the consumers in terms of increased tariff that the companies might impose to cover the costs of biometric verifications process.
It is pertinent to mention here that it is not the first time that the government has asked the mobile operators to block illegal and unregistered SIMs but the matter is still pending.
In the wake of Peshawar incident, the government once again took up the matter and ordered the companies to complete the task within 28 days. This time it is not only about the unregistered SIMs but also the government ordered to verify SIMs through the newly installed biometric system with the mobile companies.
As per sources in Pakistan Telecom Authority, mobile operators have clearly conveyed that the task cannot be completed within 28 days. Moreover the companies have told that it might cost the consumers as the companies are not going to bear the cost of the whole process.
The companies are giving indications that the government should come up with some plan that can save the consumers from additional cost. But that plan once again cannot reduce the minimum time required for SIM verifications. Mobile operators’ stance is that while signing their agreements, they were not asked to ensure biometric verification of the customer.
Presently, there are more than 137 million SIMs registered in the country. The number is increasing every day. To ensure biometric verification while selling a new SIM is easy but the SIMs in the use and already sold cannot be verified at once.
Moreover, the companies cannot go door to door to complete biometric verification of mobile SIMs and all they can do is just to send messages and launch an advertisement campaign and the subscribers will have to visit the customer service centers or the mobile customer service centers to complete this task.
Keeping in view the general behaviour, people don’t take it very seriously so the task will take more time. But at the same time the companies are not ready to block those SIMs that are not verified within the given time because that will hurt their business interests.