Pakistan's telecoms regulator has moved to stop mobile users from losing money they have already paid. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has ordered cellular operators to give prepaid customers at least 180 days' validity on every recharge or balance, regardless of the amount. Any balance that expires while a SIM remains active must be restored automatically when the subscriber next tops up. The rules apply from October 1st 2026.
The stakes are considerable. Around 97% of mobile subscribers in Pakistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan use prepaid connections, according to the PTA's determination. The regulator noted that forfeiting unused balances causes direct financial loss and hits low-income consumers hardest.
The decision followed a stream of complaints about credit disappearing once its validity period lapsed. Operators have also been barred from resorting to unfair commercial practices when putting the new rules into effect, closing off obvious ways to blunt their impact.
Before ruling, the PTA issued a consultation paper inviting views from operators, subscribers and the public. It floated two options: keeping prepaid balances valid for the entire active life of a SIM, or linking unused credit to a subscriber's national identity card (CNIC) so that it could be restored on a new SIM or refunded.
Public opinion leaned strongly towards consumers. Most respondents backed permanent validity for the life of a SIM, describing prepaid credit as hard-earned income. A significant number also favoured keeping balances at CNIC level, with the option of restoration or a refund.
The operators were far less enthusiastic about the identity-card approach. Most opposed it, citing technical complications, fraud risks, ownership disputes, the need for system overhauls, and extra operational and compliance costs.
On indefinite validity, the industry was split. Jazz supported the idea and told the PTA it already keeps prepaid balances valid for as long as a SIM is active. Telenor opposed unlimited validity but said it already reinstates expired credit after a subsequent recharge.
PTML and CMPak also rejected indefinite validity. They argued it could create permanent financial liabilities, encourage dormant SIMs and complicate both financial reporting and the management of numbering resources. Even so, the PTA noted that all operators accepted the importance of shielding customers from permanent losses.
The regulator also looked abroad. Its determination cited Vodafone's practice in Britain, where prepaid balances stay valid while a SIM is active and customers can request refunds of unused credit or bundles within 60 days of disconnection.
The final framework is a compromise between the competing proposals. Rather than granting unlimited validity or a CNIC-linked refund system, the PTA opted for a minimum validity period combined with automatic reinstatement. It concluded that this would protect consumers without undermining operators' commercial viability.
"There must be a minimum validity and reinstatement of expired balance(s) upon recharge," the Authority said, describing the approach as consistent with domestic and international best practice. For tens of millions of prepaid users, the change means their unused credit is far less likely to vanish.