PTA Will Now Take Legal Action Against Sellers and Users of CPID and Patched Phones

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has issued a public notice warning against the use and sale of unregistered mobile phones in the country. According to the notice, devices not registered through PTA’s Device Identification, Registration, and Blocking System (DIRBS) may result in legal action under existing laws. The authority emphasized that the use of such devices undermines regulatory compliance and poses risks to national security. The notice outlines several consequences associated with unregistered mobile phones. These include violations of PTA regulations, threats to national security, disruption of mobile network performance, and increased vulnerability of users’ data and privacy. PTA also highlighted the role of these devices in facilitating financial and cyber fraud, raising concerns about their growing presence in the market. Only those devices that are registered through DIRBS and have cleared all applicable taxes with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) are considered legal for use in Pakistan. The public notice further references the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, under which the sale, purchase, or promotion of unregistered joint venture (JV), duplicate, or cloned devices is deemed a punishable offense. In the local market these devices are also known as patched phones. The notice said that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), in coordination with PTA, is actively pursuing operations targeting the illegal mobile phone trade. Actions being taken include raids, arrests, confiscation of unauthorized devices, and criminal proceedings against offenders. The collaboration aims to dismantle networks responsible for distributing these non-compliant devices across the country, it added. PTA has urged citizens to refrain from buying or selling unregistered phones and encouraged them to report any such activity. Complaints can be filed through the FIA’s online portal or PTA’s official website, it added.