Keep Your Number If Your SIM Sits Unused: PTA's 180-Day Non-Usage Rule in Pakistan
After 180 days of non-usage a SIM can be suspended, then held 180 more days before reissue. See what counts as activity and how to ask for safe custody.
Short answer: Under PTA's 2025 amendment, a SIM with no activity for 180 days in a row can be suspended, but only after notice. The operator must then hold the number in quarantine for another 180 days before giving it to anyone else. You can reactivate it before it is permanently disconnected.
A SIM in a drawer is easy to forget. An overseas worker leaves for two years. A parent keeps an old number only for bank OTPs. Then one day the number is gone, and a stranger has it. PTA added a written procedure for this in December 2025.
We read the Telecom Consumers Protection (Amendment) Regulations, 2025 in the Gazette of Pakistan, Extraordinary, of 31 December 2025, from PTA's regulations page. This guide covers what it says about a SIM that is not used.
Non-usage means 180 continuous days without activity
The amendment defines non-usage as the absence of activity for a continuous period of 180 days. Activity is a voice call made or received, a video call made or received, an outgoing SMS, a mobile data session, a value added service, or paying postpaid rental.
Read that list closely. An incoming SMS is not in it. A bank OTP or a promotional message arriving on your SIM does not count as activity. The definition also allows "any other usage as may be specified by the operator", so ask yours what else it counts.
| Counts as activity | Not listed as activity |
|---|---|
| Making or receiving a voice call | Receiving an SMS |
| Making or receiving a video call | Receiving a promotional message |
| Sending an outgoing SMS | Having balance sitting on the SIM |
| A mobile data session | Keeping the SIM in the phone |
| A value added service, or postpaid rental paid | Switching the phone on with the SIM inside |
The SIM is suspended first and held for another 180 days
After 180 days of non-usage, amended regulation 7 lets the operator temporarily suspend the service, after due notice. It must then keep the number in a quarantine state for a further 180 days before it can reissue or reassign it to another customer.
So the earliest a number can pass to a new person is about 360 days after your last activity, counting both periods. The regulation also bars the operator from reassigning the number without sending multiple prior notifications to you by SMS, email or other available channels.
You can ask the operator to keep the SIM safe in writing
The amendment adds a protection. An operator shall not suspend, deactivate or reassign a mobile connection for non-usage where the consumer submitted a prior written request, with justification, for safe custody of the connection. The justification could be a long trip, study or work abroad.
The text does not say which form, office or email to use. We could not find an operator page describing the safe custody request. Make the request in writing, say why you need the number, keep a copy, and ask for a reference number. A franchise or a customer service centre should be able to take it.
You have a right to reactivate before permanent disconnection
The regulation says the consumer has the right to reactivate the connection within a reasonable time frame notified by the operator before permanent disconnection. The operator must also tell you what charges and steps apply to reactivation.
If your number has been suspended, do not wait. Contact the operator and ask for the time frame in writing or by SMS. For the practical steps to restore a blocked number, see how to restore a blocked SIM, and for lapsed numbers how to reactivate an expired SIM.
Keep a number alive with one short call every few months
The cheapest protection is a small use of the SIM before day 180. Make one short outgoing call, send one SMS or open a data session. Put a reminder in your phone. For many people this is enough to keep the number safe.
- Note today's date and set a reminder for 150 days from now.
- When the reminder rings, put the SIM in a phone with signal.
- Make a short outgoing call, or send an SMS, or use mobile data for a minute.
- If you will be away for longer, write to the operator for safe custody and keep the reference.
- Check that your CNIC lists only the numbers you want, using the SIM check on your CNIC.
This rule is separate from the one on prepaid balance. That one protects your money for 180 days after a recharge, as we explain in PTA's 180 day prepaid validity. The non-usage rule protects the number itself.
Common questions
Is a SIM disconnected after 180 days without use?
It can be suspended, after notice. The regulation then requires a further 180 days in quarantine before the number can be reissued.
Does receiving an SMS keep my SIM active?
It is not on the list of activities in the definition. Make an outgoing call, send an SMS or use mobile data to be safe.
Can I protect my number while I am abroad?
Yes. A written request with justification for safe custody stops suspension, deactivation and reassignment for non-usage. Keep a copy of the request.
How will the operator tell me?
The regulation names SMS, email and other available channels, and asks for multiple prior notifications before a number is reassigned.
Does this rule apply to postpaid?
The activity definition includes payment of rental for a postpaid connection, so postpaid is inside the definition. Check with your operator how it applies to your account.
What happens if I miss both 180 day periods?
After both periods the operator may reissue the number to another customer. Ask the operator to confirm in writing when the number is released from your CNIC.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on Sunday 11 October 2026. We read the Telecom Consumers Protection (Amendment) Regulations, 2025 from the regulations page of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority. The file is a scan that we read page by page, so confirm any figure on PTA's page. We did not find an operator page that describes how to file a safe custody request.
About the author
Technology Journalist & Multimedia Producer
Ahmad Ali is a technology journalist and multimedia producer at Pakistan Era, joining the team in October 2026. He covers consumer technology and digital life for Pakistani readers, combining research with hands-on product testing.
