The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) plans to require travel SIM and eSIM providers operating in Pakistan to register with the regulator under proposed new rules for international roaming services.

The requirement is part of the draft International Roaming (Inbound) Regulations, 2026, which aim to bring these services under a formal regulatory framework.

Under the proposed rules, no individual or company would be allowed to operate as a travel SIM or eSIM aggregator in Pakistan without prior PTA registration.

Applicants would have to submit an application, pay the prescribed fee and provide supporting documents and eligibility details. They would also need to disclose their foreign mobile operator partners, network or IMSI providers, distribution channels and a local representative responsible for dealing with the regulator.

Registered providers would only be permitted to distribute, provision or activate travel SIMs and eSIM profiles through valid arrangements with licensed operators or foreign home operators.

The draft regulations also propose annual registration fees, security deposits and renewal requirements. The PTA could suspend or cancel registrations if providers fail to comply with the rules.

The proposed framework would also require registered aggregators to share data with the PTA about SIMs and eSIMs issued or activated, customer identity verification and usage summaries.

The regulator may require providers to connect their systems to a designated portal or application programming interface (API) to submit information periodically or in near real time. This would allow the PTA to monitor subscriber activations more closely.

The proposed rules come amid concerns that foreign travel eSIMs can be activated in Pakistan without local identity verification, potentially making it harder to trace users and address financial fraud and national security risks.

The PTA has started consulting stakeholders on the draft regulations. It may revise the proposals after reviewing the feedback before formally notifying the rules in the official Gazette.

The regulations would take effect after formal notification.