Taiyeb assures 3-month grace period for mobile users

Amid public concern following the launch of the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR), the government has assured mobile users that no unauthorised or illegal mobile handsets will be blocked for the next three months. Officials say technical complexities during data migration have caused confusion and are being addressed gradually.

Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology's Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser, Faiz Ahmed Taiyab, urged people not to panic, saying the NEIR system is active but enforcement actions will not begin during the initial 90-day period.

Taiyab shared the update in a Facebook post on Friday afternoon, acknowledging widespread concern over reports that unusually high numbers of SIM cards or mobile handsets were appearing against many individuals' National Identity Cards (NIDs).

He explained that mobile operators have submitted more than three billion datasets to the NEIR platform, including historical records. "As a result, migration dates are being displayed as the current date, which is why many people are seeing inflated numbers of SIMs or handsets linked to their NIDs," he said.