What is PTA Approved?
A PTA-approved phone is a handset registered with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, so it keeps working on Pakistani mobile networks.
Updated
Meaning
English
A PTA-approved phone is a handset registered with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, so it keeps working on Pakistani mobile networks.
Roman Urdu
PTA approved phone woh hai jo PTA ke paas registered ho, is liye Pakistan ke mobile networks par chalta rehta hai.
Also called PTA registered, PTA approved phone, DIRBS.
Example
A customer brings a phone bought abroad. The shop sends its IMEI by SMS to 8484 and the reply shows it is not registered, so it is sold as "non-PTA" at a lower price, and the customer is told it will need registration to use a local SIM.
How it works
PTA runs DIRBS (Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System). Phones imported through official channels are registered; phones brought in personally must be registered within the allowed time, with duty and taxes paid, or they are blocked on local networks. Anyone can check a phone's status by sending its 15-digit IMEI by SMS to 8484 or on the DIRBS website.
For a mobile shop the PTA status changes a phone's value a lot, so it must be recorded accurately on stock and on the bill. Selling a non-PTA phone without saying so is a common cause of disputes.
In Nafaa
The Nafaa mobile pack records each phone's PTA status (approved, non-PTA, patched, pending or exempt) with its IMEI, and the mobile dashboard counts non-PTA and pending phones in stock.
Official source
PTA DIRBS, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.
Related terms
- IMEI
An IMEI is the 15-digit number that identifies a mobile phone handset.
