Admin stops conversion of prepaid to postpaid mobile

Srinagar: All the major telecom operators running in the valley have put an end to conversion of pre-paid mobile connection into post-paid due to the regulatory orders issued to them by the administration.

While on other hand all the telecom operators have decided to issue new postpaid SIM cards only after proper verification that includes police verification as well as the company’s own Know Your Customer (KYC) procedure.

The advisory comes at a time when a huge rush of pre-paid customers was seen lining up outside telecom stores to convert their SIM into postpaid. Mobile services were restored in the valley last Monday after remaining snapped for over two months.

The communiqué blockade was put place across the region following the abrogation of Article 370 by the Centre government and bifurcate the region into two separate Union Territories. In Kashmir there are 40 Lakh post-paid customers and over 26 Lakh pre-paid subscribers.

“I have been using pre-paid from the last more than 7 years, but looking at the condition I think pre-paid phones are not going to restore. So, I thought I should convert my pre-paid connection into post-paid connection, but I was denied at the telecom centre stating they have received an advisory”, said Imran Bhat, pre-paid user.

“I thought I will use my phones since few days after the mobile phone was restored, as some people had converted pre-paid phones into postpaid connection, but now they are denying to convert any connection”, said Mudasir another subscriber.

What is wrong in it if we want to convert our pre-paid connection into post-paid connection after all we are following proper procedure. I think I should get one post-paid connection now, he added.

An official of private telecom operator said that they have received the advisory asking them to stop converting pre-paid into post-paid connections. He added that we were catering the procedure till Thursday and after that we did not carried out our procedure.

“Even though we have our own verification system where Know Your Customer (KYC), is supposed to fill a form but we are making sure that we follow every procedure than we will give away the new post-paid connection. As we know what situation is here in the valley”, said another official of private telecom operator.

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