ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has prescribed a minimum validity period of 180 days for the balance on prepaid mobiles, providing respite to customers who lost their unused balance because of expiry.
According to the PTA, the newly imposed validity period of 180 days will start from October 1, 2026.
“All mobile phone companies will have to ensure that a minimum validity period of 180 days is applicable on prepaid recharges and balance,” the regulatory body announced.
In the new policy, it will be possible for the user to restore his expired balance automatically when he recharges his phone, provided that the SIM is not expired and is operational.
According to the new policy, the expired balance of the user can be recovered automatically upon making a recharge when the SIM remains operational.
The authority explained that this step is being taken to protect the consumers’ rights and create an environment of fairness in the telecom business.
Jazz Expands 5G Network to 1,000 Sites Across Pakistan
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s leading connectivity provider Jazz has expanded its 5G network to 1,000 active sites across the country, claiming the distinction of having the fastest 5G rollout and the largest 5G network in Pakistan.
As per reports, Jazz intends to extend its 5G network to 2,500 sites by the end of 2026 as the company ramps up the launch of its next generation connectivity solutions in key markets.
Jazz first launched 5G connectivity with around 180 sites in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan and Faisalabad. The company then expanded its network in these cities and brought Sialkot and Gujranwala into the fold, increasing its 5G footprint in 10 cities.
Commenting on the latest achievement of the company, Kazim Mujtaba, Jazz GSM President said, “The rapid growth of our 5G network in such a short time period demonstrates our commitment to bringing the advantages of 5G technology to more Pakistanis.”
The Jazz executive explained that the proposed expansion of the 5G network to 2,500 sites by the end of this year will be geared towards providing a superior digital experience through increased capacity, enhanced speed and improved connectivity.
He further added that once 5G technology is adopted at a larger scale, new use cases and applications will emerge in various industries due to this development.
Commenting on this achievement of Jazz, Khalid Shehzad, Jazz World Chief Technology Officer said, “Large scale 5G deployment needs robust infrastructure that can cater to the diverse connectivity requirements of Pakistan.”
The company said it was also developing one of Pakistan’s most diverse 5G networks, supported by additional spectrum acquired during the 2026 spectrum auction.
Jazz acquired a combined 190 MHz of additional spectrum across four bands — 700 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2600 MHz and 3500 MHz.
As a result of this additional acquisition, the total spectrum portfolio of Jazz has been brought up to 284.4 MHz.
The 5G roll-out is in continuation with the earlier announcement made by Jazz regarding its intention of investing one billion dollars after winning the spectrum auction. In line with this, the company stated that its investment would lead to accelerated deployment of 5G technology in the country.
According to Jazz, this investment takes its total investment made in the country to 12 billion dollars.
With its roll-out of 1,000 5G sites, Jazz expanded its coverage from eight cities to ten.
With 1,000 active 5G sites now operational, Jazz said its rollout had expanded from the initial eight cities to 10, with the company targeting 2,500 sites by the end of 2026.
