Owing to import limitations and costly PTA approval fees, consumers are forced to choose non-PTA mobile phones as smartphone prices have increased dramatically in Pakistan.

PTA approval for phones was not an idea back then, and Pakistanis could purchase any phone they wanted without any hassles. But now, it’s all different.

A phone may use any SIM card for two months after it is imported into Pakistan, after which the PTA will disable the device. Due to store owners’ lack of concern for investing additional funds for PTA clearance and their decision to leave it up to customers whether they wish to pay the high cost of PTA approval for using a SIM, Pakistani mobile marketplaces are currently overrun with non-PTA phones.

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People use a different phone to keep their sim active because the sim on these phones stops working after the two-month period. Few individuals are aware that non-PTA phones still support SIM cards.

Users can purchase a SIM card of a mobile network called SCOM and activate their number.

For those who don’t know, SCO introduced the first GSM mobile services under the name SCOM in Azad Jammu Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan in 2004.

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In over 450 major cities, towns, and villages in Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan, SCOM offers the area’s largest network coverage with an equal footprint in rural and urban terrain, but it may also be utilised across the entire nation.

However, there is one disadvantage for residents of other parts of Punjab because SCOM SIM is not offered everywhere. There are many people selling SCOM connections online, so you can search OLX or visit SCOM’s official website to order a sim online.

People purchase non-PTA phones, such as iPhones and other flagship models from Samsung, One Plus, Sony, Xiaomi, and other manufacturers, since PTA-approved phones are now quite expensive. People are forced to carry an additional phone to keep their sim active because the sim on these unapproved phones stops working after the two-month period.

It is important to keep in mind that although these phones may appear to be less expensive at the time of purchase, adding the PTA approval charge makes them way more expensive.