Key points:

  • Effective 1 October, Ufone, Jazz and Zong must grant every prepaid recharge a minimum validity of 180 days.
  • Any unused credit that would otherwise lapse before the 180‑day threshold will be automatically reinstated to the subscriber’s balance.
  • The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has ordered the three operators to adjust their billing systems promptly to meet the new requirement.
  • The directive aims to curb frequent balance expiries that burden low‑income users and bring Pakistan’s prepaid practices in line with regional norms.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority announced on Friday that the three largest mobile network operators—Ufone, Jazz and Zong—must ensure that each prepaid top‑up remains active for at least half a year. The rule, which comes into force on 1 October, obliges the carriers to treat any portion of credit that would normally expire before the 180‑day mark as “re‑usable”: the system will automatically credit the amount back to the user’s account without the need for a further recharge.

PTA’s decision follows a series of complaints from consumers who repeatedly lost small balances after short validity periods, a problem that disproportionately affects low‑income households that rely on prepaid services for daily communication. By extending the validity window and introducing auto‑reuse, the regulator hopes to reduce the frequency of top‑ups, lower transaction costs for users, and improve overall customer satisfaction.

The three operators have been given a short window to upgrade their recharge platforms and billing engines to accommodate the new logic. While they have not publicly detailed the technical steps, industry insiders expect system changes to be rolled out in the coming weeks so that the October deadline can be met without service interruptions.

Analysts note that the move also aligns Pakistan with practices observed in neighboring markets such as India and Bangladesh, where extended prepaid validity periods have become standard. If successfully implemented, the policy could set a benchmark for consumer‑friendly telecom regulation in the region and may prompt other service providers to adopt similar measures.