ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has extended the deadline for registration of mobile phones till Jan 15.
The date was extended by the authority on the directives of the federal government.
The PTA after the expiry of the extended deadline will block counterfeit and smuggled phone devices.
Earlier, the authority had announced to block all non-compliant devices after December 31, 2018.
The government extended the deadline after a number of protests and press conferences by the Mobile Phone Traders Association (MPTA).
The traders were of the view that they had already ordered consignments and it was not possible for them to register the IMEIs of second-hand phones.
An official statement issued by the PTA states that the Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) would remain operational and all mobile phones activated on mobile networks within Pakistan by Jan 15 would remain operational without service disruption.
“Even non-compliant devices in operation prior to this date will be tied to these numbers and will remain operational till the useful life of the devices,” it states.
The PTA has developed the DIRBS in line with Section 9.6 of the Telecom Policy 2015, issued by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom, with the aim to curtail counterfeit mobile phone usage, discourage mobile phone theft and protect consumer interest, it states.
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