The caretaker government has identified hundreds of smugglers and shops that patch smartphones through illegal methods such as consumer product identification (CPID) IMEI repair and patch approvals, local media reported.

They added that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority would also start a crackdown against cpidserver.com that provides CPID approval services worldwide.

The development comes after the law and enforcement agencies identified a large number of mobile phones smuggled to Pakistan through Dubai and other countries.

The CPID approval is one of the methods used for illegally obtaining PTA approvals at highly affordable rates, unlocking the device’s original firmware without having to root the device. It removes the SIM lock and changes the IMEI number of a smartphone through software that is connected to a remote paid server.

Moreover, the patch approval bars the users from updating their phone.

It merits here to mention that the SIM disowning charge of up to Rs200 would be applicable from January 1, 2024 on SIMs having a retention period of less than six months.