In the year 2000, Pakistani individuals began to use cell phones on a regular basis. In the years that followed, the decline in pricing and easy availability for the general public propelled the number of cellular customers to new heights.
With it comes the erroneous application of technology. Unregistered SIMs were swiftly linked to a slew of illicit activity and terrorist incidents.
In 2009, PTA implemented an upgraded SIM Information System to address these issues. The system was created to preserve a digital record of SIM subscribers so that customers may see how many active SIMs have been issued against their CNIC.
Continue reading if you don’t know how many SIM cards have been issued against your CNIC or if you want to verify or block one of them.
How many SIM cards can be linked to a single CNIC?
It’s crucial to realise that the number of SIMs a person can receive against their CNIC is limited. A person can have a maximum of 5 SIM cards issued in their name at any given time, according to PTA regulations.
If you already have 5 SIM cards registered with your CNIC and want to add another, you must first block the SIM card that is no longer in use in order to keep the maximum number of SIMs at 5.
How can I find out how many active SIM cards have been issued against my CNIC?
If you don’t know how many active SIM cards have been issued against your CNIC, you should find out as quickly as possible.
There are one simple ways to accomplish this:
Through SMS:
To find out the number of SIMs registered against your CNIC via SMS, here is a short guide:
- Open the text message application on your phone.
- Type in your CNIC number without any hyphens.
- Once done, send this message to 668.
- You will soon receive a reply via text message showing you the total number of active SIM cards against each operator issued on your CNIC.
- Please note that you will be charged PKR 2 + tax for each SMS that you send to 668.