ISLAMABAD: The telecom regulatory authority on Saturday extended the registration date for all such mobile devices that come with dual SIMs and have separate international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) till Sept 15.

Two weeks ago, the Pakistan Tel­ecommunication Authority (PTA) had asked all subscribers with dual SIM mobile phones to register their IMEI numbers before Aug 31.

The PTA had said earlier that there had been instances where subscribers who own handsets with dual SIMs have registered one IMEI number against the slot they use. Most users do not utilise the second slot and have either not registered the IMEI number against it or have forgotten to do so. Mobile device users with one IMEI registered, and the second IMEI not registered are advised to register all IMEIs.

The IMEI number is only used for identifying the device and has no relation to the subscriber. The number is used by the PTA to identify valid devices and therefore can be used for stopping a stolen phone from accessing the network in the country.

The PTA said that it will evaluate all such requests, and validated cases will be registered accordingly. It also warned of legal action if an applicant submitted incorrect information. Devices with already one IMEI against one SIM slot registered will not face service disruptions.

To check the status of a mobile device, the PTA has advised subscribers to dial *#06# and SMS each 15 digit IMEI to 8484.

The PTA said that subscribers were advised to have all IMEIs (dual SIM) of their mobile devices registered under its indigenous new mechanism called Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS).

DIRBS has been developed to counter smuggling and use of knock off mobile handsets in the country.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2019