Pakistan's telecommunications authority has blocked 26 million SIMs after their owners failed to register ownership linked to biometric data.The country had launched a biometrics registration drive earlier this year over concerns that militants were using smartphones to coordinate attacks.Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmed confirmed the figure on Friday.Replying to a supplementary question, Aftab said that Cellular Mobile Operators were required to collect “Activation Tax” at the rate of Rs 250 per new SIM from consumers.In February, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) noted that biometric verification of 72 million SIMs had been completed.Bangladesh has said it will launch a biometric registration process for its SIM cards in November.
Recent Articles
- New FIDO Alliance and HID study reveals major gap between identity security confidence and reality
- Cyber criminals targeting global sport: Live events face “critical infrastructure” risks
- Outright ban on social media use for under-16s passes in UK
- UK Government appoints expert panel to push national digital ID rollout
- Over 4,000 identity professionals now registered!
Recent Video
- How interoperability of EES and ETIAS is designed to create a comprehensive view of traveller movement
- Ex Police detective Gavin Burton: Fraud prevention tools for police and border control
- Semperis: Operational resilience in Active Directory and Entra ID
- We’re back! The key features of Identity Week Europe 2026!
- How ICMPD is supporting Ukraine’s border resilience during crisis
