SIM & Telecom Glossary – Key Terms Explained
Last Updated: August 5, 2026
Plain-language definitions of every term used across our SIM owner details, SIM information, and safety guides. Terms follow official PTA, NADRA, and operator usage; see our editorial standards for how definitions are verified.
668
PTA's official SMS service — send your 13-digit CNIC (no dashes) to 668 and receive a per-operator count of every SIM registered on your CNIC in about 30 seconds (about Rs. 2).
667 (MNP)
Mobile Number Portability code — send MNP to 667 from the SIM in your hand to confirm that SIM's registered network and see a masked view of its CNIC.
76367
PTA's network identification service — send N space 03XXXXXXXXX to 76367 to learn which operator currently serves any Pakistani number.
SVMS
Subscriber Verification Management System — PTA's backend registry, built with NADRA, that links every biometrically verified SIM to a CNIC. It powers 668 and cnic.sims.pk.
BVS / MBVS
Biometric Verification System / Multi-Biometric Verification System — NADRA's fingerprint-verification step that activates a SIM against a CNIC.
DIRBS
Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System — PTA's handset registry that checks and blocks phones by IMEI. Pakistan's system; not to be confused with India's CEIR.
CEIR
Central Equipment Identity Register — India's device registry. Often confused with Pakistan's DIRBS; the two are different systems.
MNP
Mobile Number Portability — keeping your number while switching networks. Why a prefix can mislead after porting, and why 76367 exists.
IMEI
International Mobile Equipment Identity — the 15-digit unique ID of your handset. Dial *#06# to see it; SMS it to 8484 to check DIRBS status.
USSD
Unstructured Supplementary Service Data — the short codes you dial like *99# or *668#; they run without internet or an app.
NICOP
National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis — accepted on cnic.sims.pk exactly like a CNIC.
POC
Pakistan Origin Card — identity document for Pakistan-origin foreign nationals; also accepted on cnic.sims.pk.
NCCIA
National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency — absorbed the FIA Cybercrime Wing in April 2025; runs the 24/7 cyber helpline 1799 and complaint.nccia.gov.pk.
RAABTA
PTA's official WhatsApp Digital Assistant at 0315-0055055 — menu-driven SIM guidance, IMEI/DIRBS checks, and complaint filing.
SIM Disowning
The official process of removing a SIM from your CNIC at an operator franchise with biometric verification. Free if fraudulently issued; voluntary disowning capped at Rs. 200.
365-Day Disowning Window
Since May 24, 2026, a newly activated SIM cannot be disowned or transferred for 365 days after activation (extended from 60 days; confirmed by Geo Fact Check).
SIM Limit (5+3=8)
The Supreme Court's November 5, 2015 cap: maximum 8 SIMs per CNIC — 5 voice plus 3 data — combined across all operators.
B-Form
A child's birth registration document. Children under 18 cannot hold a SIM; their lines sit on a parent's or guardian's CNIC and count toward the adult's 8-SIM cap.
eSIM
An embedded SIM activated by biometric verification and a QR code — offered by Jazz, Zong, Ufone, and the app-based ONIC. Appears in 668 results like a physical SIM.
ONIC
A digital MVNO running on the Ufone network — app-based SIM activation, prefixes 0339 and 0371–0379.
PTML
The Pakistan Telecommunications Mobile Limited group behind Ufone. Telenor Pakistan amalgamated into PTML on July 1, 2026.
PECA 2016
The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act — Section 16 (unauthorized use of identity information: up to 3 years or Rs. 5,000,000) and Section 17 (fraudulent SIM issuance: up to 3 years or Rs. 500,000) are the provisions that matter for SIM lookups.
JazzCash / Easypaisa
Pakistan's two largest mobile wallets — common targets of SIM-swap fraud; protect them with app-based 2FA instead of SMS OTPs.
Franchise
An operator's authorized retail outlet where biometric SIM activation, disowning, corrections, and printed records happen in person.
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