Protecting your privacy is a big deal which is why we’re strict about how we handle your personal information. This privacy policy outlines how we collect, store, use and disclose any personal information you provide us, in line with PMCL’s obligation towards the Pakistan Telecommunication Act 1996.

Personal Information’ may include your Name, Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC), Address, Telephone Number, Email Address and Profession or Occupation. If the collected information reasonably and personally identifies you, the information will be considered personal information.

*By subscribing to our VAS Services, you acknowledge and consent that, for the purpose of optimizing your experience, we may responsibly share your billing information and analytics with trusted third parties. These third parties are bound by confidentiality and usage restrictions.

What Personal Information do we collect?

The information we collect about you is in compliance with clause 6.8 of our License, Subscriber’s Antecedents Verification Regulations – 2010 & Branchless Banking Regulations. Moreover, it also depends on the PMCL products and services you use and subscribe to. It may include:

Common Data:

• Your CNIC, name, date of birth, thumb impression and contact details including your physical address, email address and telephone number

Usage Data:

• Details of products and services we’ve supplied you or you’ve enquired about, as well as any additional information needed to deliver those products and services or respond to your enquiries
• Your preferences for particular products, services or lifestyle activities when you tell us what they are, or your preferences based on how you use our products and services
• The websites you visit and the online searches you perform
• Your use of mobile voice and data services
• Any additional information relating to you that you provide to us directly through our websites or indirectly through use of our websites or online presence
• Information you provide to us through customer surveys.

Traffic Data or Billing Data:

• The phone numbers that you call or send messages to or the phone numbers that you receive calls and messages from
• The date, time and length of the calls and messages you send or receive through our network, and your general location at the time these calls and messages take place
• The level of service you receive (e.g. network faults and other network events which may affect our network services)

Location Data:

• The date, time and length of your internet browsing, and your general location at the time

Why do we collect Personal Information?

To provide you with mobile services and products, we need to collect some of your personal details, without which, we’re not allowed by law to provide you with the products and services you want. For the purposes of providing international roaming (IR) services, PMCL/PMCL enters into IR agreements with other international operators and service providers, and under such IR agreements PMCL/PMCL may be required to collect and use information, including but not limited to, information pertaining to the customer’s IMEI, SIM card information, International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number (MSISDN) (the “IR Service Data”) and share the same with such international operator, service provider and/or clearing services providers (the “Third Party IR Partners”) for the purposes of providing IR services, general services, and; calculations, settlement, payment and recovery of charges. By using our services, each customer agrees and provides its consent to PMCL/PMCL to collect and disclose the IR Service Data to the Third Party IR Partners for inter alia processing and reconciliation of such information. Our use of your personal data may include the following:

• Providing you with mobile phone and services. This might include extra services not in your agreement with us and services that use information about where you are when using your mobile device (location information) The customer gives specific consent that for the purposes of providing international roaming services, PMCL/PMCL may also collect and use information, including but not limited to, information pertaining to the customer’s IMEI, SIM Card Information, International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMS), Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number (MSISDN) and share the same with visiting operator; where subscriber may be roaming and/or a Third Party IR Partner.
• Contacting you with messages about changes to our products or services
• Generating bills, managing your account, and carrying out recovery functions
• Carrying out market analysis and research, development of our products and services, and to understand how customers use our network, products and services on an anonymous or personal basis
• Analyzing the services, products and other things that interest you, and the locations in which you use your mobile device, in order to provide you with services, products and information suited to your needs, interests and location. Customer data processing in anonymized and aggregated form helps third parties to make better decisions by getting valuable insights into movement and usage patterns. But it isn’t about individuals – it’s about overall patterns, rather than any one person. PMCL doesn’t identify you, or give anyone information which would enable them to contact you
• Contacting you about our products and services, which may include marketing these products to you
• Identifying your location so we can send you emergency alerts
• Protecting our network and managing the volume of calls, TXTs and other use of our network. For example, we identify peak periods of use so our network can better handle the volume at those times
• Conducting internal investigations in relation to crime and fraud prevention, detection, recovery or prosecution

We may also send you direct marketing communications and information about

• Our products, services, discounts, competitions and special promotions that we consider may be of interest to you
• Offers our promotions based on how you use our products and services. These include your calling and messaging activities, location information and browsing information
• Other companies’ products and services (including offers and discounts we’ve specially negotiated for our customers) we think may interest you, if you’ve chosen to receive this information.
• These communications may be sent in various forms, including by telephone, post, fax and any form of electronic message (including email, SMS, MMS etc.).

Customer data processing is anonymized and aggregated form helps third parties to make better decisions by getting valuable insights into movement and usage patterns. But it isn’t about individuals - it’s about overall patterns, rather than any one person. PMCL doesn’t identify you, or give anyone information which would enable them to contact you.

How can you opt out of PMCL Analytics?

Our endeavor will be to provide you with best experience while you are with PMCL through this data processing. However, you can opt out at any time by texting OPT OUT to 7029 from your PMCL number. This will remove you from future PMCL data processing. To re-join PMCL data processing, text OPT IN to 7029 from your PMCL number. If you have more than one SIM, you’ll need to send the relevant text from each of your PMCL devices. All texts are free of charge when you text from the Pakistan.

How can you opt out of Marketing Materials?

Under the “Protection from Spam, Unsolicited, Fraudulent and Obnoxious Communication Regulations – 2009’ you may opt out from receiving the marketing material. You can also use any opt-out methods provided in our marketing communication. You may also use mechanism given in (Block of Promotional SMS) & (Spam Messages) below for opting out from receiving marketing material.

Blocking of Promotional SMS

Customer can block Promotional SMS using DNCR short code 3627.Customer can register a request by sending a message on 3627 as under:

• Customer will send a blank SMS at short code 3627.
• Customer will receive a message “Aap ke number py promotional SMS ore calls 2 business days mein band kar di jaein gi, Network ore price ke bary mein zarori itelaat jari rahein ge”
• If customer is not able to send an empty message he can type Dot ‘.’ And send to 3627. Customer will receive a message “Aap ke number py promotional SMS ore calls 2 business days mein band kar di jaein gi, Network ore price ke bary mein zarori itelaat jari rahein ge”
• In case of no reply to SMS being sent to short code 3627, customer can contact us through the complaint section in the app.
• However, we’ll still need to send you essential information about your account, changes to your service or plan and other information required by law.

Spam Messages

Spam or unsolicited texts telling you that you have won a competition can be annoying. Customers can send spam texts to 9000 as per the format. We’ll investigate and if appropriate, we’ll disconnect the SIM generating the spam texts on our network.

The best way to avoid spam is to be careful who you give your number to, especially on the internet. You can also check privacy policies and marketing opt-outs when ordering goods.

Retention Period

Customers’ traffic or Billing data will be retained as under:

Data for scrutiny by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and Law Enforcing Agencies. Data for billing purposes No retention period has been specified for the billing data in our license, however, PMCL is maintaining billing data as under:

• As per our licensing clause 6.8 we are required to maintain call records including called and calling numbers, date, duration, time, IMEI and location details with regard to the communications made on our Telecommunication System for a period of one year for scrutiny by or as directed by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.
• In addition we are also required to record/store data session logs/info along with IP address for one year for scrutiny by or as directed by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.
• Billing data for the prepaid subscribers is maintained for a period of 40 days.

Customer Rights

It’s about more than legal compliance. It’s about building a culture that respects privacy and justifies the trust placed in us. Personal data shared with PMCL remains essential part of customers, therefore at any moment customers shall have the right to access and control it, in order to be able to request

• Information about data and the related processing activity
• Data update, deletion and ownership
• Protection policy adopted

Who can we provide your personal information to?

As per our licensing clause 7.7 we shall take all reasonable measures to prevent your information, including information about your business, other than directory information, from being disclosed to third parties, including the our own subsidiaries, affiliates and associated companies, except information which is required:

• For the process of collection of debts owed to us
• by an Operator in relation to the provision of services to the customer, and provided that the information is disclosed in confidence to that Operator
• by our auditors for the purpose of auditing the Licensee’s accounts or
• For the prevention or detection of crime or the apprehension or prosecution of offenders or as may otherwise be authorized by or under any law of Pakistan.

How do we use Cookies?

We may also use cookies (small text files stored in your browser) and other techniques such as web beacons (small, clear picture files used to follow your movements on our website). We collect information that helps us understand how you use our online products and services and how we can make them more relevant to you.

• We may use a persistent cookie (a cookie that stays linked to your browser) to record your visits so we can recognize you if you visit our website again. It also lets us to keep track of products or services you view so that we can send you news about them.
• We also use cookies to measure traffic patterns, to determine which areas of our website have been visited and to measure transaction patterns in the aggregate. This helps us research our user’s habits so that we can improve our online products and services.
• We may log IP addresses (that is, the electronic addresses of computers connected to the internet) to analyze trends, administer the website, track user movements, and gather broad demographic information.

What security measures do we use to protect your personal information

The security of your personal information is a high priority for us. We take all reasonable steps to securely store your personal information so it’s protected from unauthorized use, access, modification or disclosure. This includes both physical and electronic security measures.

Stolen Phones

Hundreds of mobile phones are stolen every day in the Pakistan, and the increasing popularity of high-value smartphones makes mobile theft a growing problem. We blacklist all phones reported as stolen so they can’t be used on any Pakistani network. The process of blocking these phones is as under:

How to get IMEI?

Just dial *#06# and note down IMEI number of your mobile set.

How to Report?

• Call Police 15
• Call at PTA toll free number 080025625
• Call CPLC Citizen Police Liaison Committee Tel: 021-35662222 Fax: 021-35683336 Website: www.cplc.org.pk

For complaints and queries email at [email protected]

What to Provide?

• IMEI No.
• Cell Phone No.
• Name
• National ID card number
• Address and Contact number

How accurate is the personal information we hold about you?

We take all reasonable measures to make sure the personal information we hold is accurate, complete and up to date. However, the accuracy of your information is largely dependent on what you provide us. To make sure we’ve got your most current and accurate details, please let us know when your information changes (e.g. if you change your name or move house) by visiting nearest PMCLoffice or call on our helpline 111.

Contact us

• Helpline: 111
• Email: [email protected]
• Fax: (042) 111-301-301
• Any nearest PMCL Experience Center