PTA drafts identity checks for foreign SIMs and eSIMs roaming in Pakistan
Draft inbound roaming rules would make operators verify visitors, register travel eSIM sellers and treat any connection active for 90 days in 180 as permanent roaming.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has drafted rules that would require identity checks on foreign SIMs and eSIMs that connect to Pakistani mobile networks. The draft International Roaming (Inbound) Regulations, 2026 are open for written comments until 10 November.
Today, the PTA says, inbound roaming connections operate without local identity verification, which makes users hard to trace in fraud cases. The regulator cites spoofed calls, SMS phishing, extortion and ecommerce fraud, and says social media accounts have been used through foreign SIMs to spread fake news and hate speech. It also warns that foreign SIMs, including those in machine to machine and internet of things devices, could weaken regulatory oversight and cost the state and Pakistani operators revenue.
What operators would have to do
Mobile operators would have to build a verification process for roamers. The data they could collect includes passport or travel document details, nationality, SIM or eSIM identifiers, the home operator and, where available, the arrival date and expected stay. Verification could run through activation procedures, a link in the welcome SMS, a PTA approved digital portal or coordination with immigration and border authorities. For data only eSIMs, where an SMS may not be possible, the PTA would prescribe other arrangements.
Operators would also deploy systems to detect permanent roaming and suspicious traffic, keep roaming records for at least 12 months and report to the PTA periodically. They could ask a visitor's foreign home operator for subscriber information, and the foreign operator would have 72 hours to respond, or 24 hours where there is an imminent security or fraud risk.
A 90 day test
The draft defines permanent roaming as a connection that stays active for 90 days or more within any 180 day period. Such connections could be suspended or blocked if the operator cannot show that the use is legitimate and temporary. Blocking would be allowed where illegal or abusive activity is established on credible information, and a central database of blocked roamers would stop a suspended user from reconnecting through another Pakistani network.
Travel eSIM sellers brought in
The draft also reaches the travel SIM and eSIM aggregators that sell data plans to visitors. They would have to register with the PTA, disclose the network providers and distribution channels behind their plans, appoint a local focal person and share information on issuance, activation, identity checks and usage.
Machine to machine and internet of things SIMs would be barred from ordinary consumer voice, SMS and general purpose data. The PTA could approve genuine industrial uses case by case.
The rules take effect only after the PTA completes consultation and notifies them.
