The original SIM check code
668 SIM Check: The Complete Guide to PTA’s SMS Verification Code
668 sim check works by sending your own 13-digit CNIC number — no dashes, no spaces — as a plain text message to 668 from any live Pakistani mobile SIM. Within seconds, PTA’s SIM Information System 668 replies with a per-operator count of how many SIM connections are currently registered against that CNIC. It does not, and never has, returned a name, a phone number, or an address — it is a counting tool, not a lookup tool. This guide goes deeper than a quick how-to: it covers every format edge case, exactly how the Rs 2 charge is billed, what to do when 668 stops replying, and the verified 2009-to-2026 history of the service, so you understand the tool completely before you rely on it.
Format, character by character
How Does 668 SIM Check Work? The Exact SMS Format
Open your messaging app, type your 13-digit CNIC number with absolutely nothing else in the message body, and send it as an SMS to the short code 668. That is the entire procedure — there is no app, no PIN, no confirmation step, and no separate registration required before you can use it.
Because so many readers get this one detail wrong, it is worth walking through the format as literally as possible. Your CNIC is printed on your identity card as five digits, a hyphen, seven digits, a hyphen, and one final digit — for example 35202-1234567-1. For 668, you remove both hyphens and send only the resulting 13-digit string: 3520212345671. No spaces before or after the digits, no leading zero, no country code, no “CNIC” label, no punctuation of any kind. The message body should contain nothing but those thirteen numerals.
What happens with dashes, spaces, or extra characters
PTA has not published a formal error-message specification for malformed 668 queries, so the following is a reasonable working assumption based on how short-code SMS systems generally behave, not a documented PTA rule. If you send the CNIC with the hyphens still in place, with a space inserted between the digit groups, or with any letters or symbols mixed in, the message is unlikely to parse as a valid 13-digit CNIC, and the likely outcome is silence rather than an explanatory error message. Before you conclude the service has failed, re-check your outbox: does the sent message show exactly 13 digits and nothing else?
Wrong-length input
A Pakistani CNIC is always 13 digits. If you send 12 digits (a common typo when someone forgets the final check digit) or 14 digits (an accidental double-entry), the query will not match a valid CNIC record, and — following the same general pattern described above — a non-matching query is more likely to produce no reply than a helpful error message. Double-counting the digits in your draft before sending is a sensible first troubleshooting step regardless of the exact mechanism behind a failed query.
Foreign ID and POC numbers are not accepted here
668 is built around Pakistani CNIC numbers only. If you hold an Alien Registration Card, a POC (Pakistan Origin Card), or another foreign-ID-linked SIM allowance, 668 is not the right channel — sending that number to 668 will not return a usable result. The free web portal at cnic.sims.pk is the tool that actually has a dedicated “Foreign ID” tab alongside its CNIC tab, so foreign-ID holders should use the portal instead. We cover that portal’s full workflow, screenshots, and step-by-step guidance on our main CNIC SIM check page, since 668 and the portal are the two options we walk readers through there.
Why the count itself matters
The number 668 hands back is only meaningful once you know what it should be compared against. The Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled on 5 November 2015 that the cap is 8 total SIMs per CNIC — 5 voice plus 3 data — with foreign nationals and POC holders limited to 2. Claims circulating online that the limit is “25 SIMs,” or that it was “reduced to 6” in December 2025, are unsourced myths with no matching PTA or court record; do not treat either figure as fact. If your 668 result adds up to more than 8 across all networks, that is worth investigating through the channels covered below, not dismissing as normal.
Sending more than one query in a row
There is no hard technical rule stopping you from sending a second or third 668 query back to back — for example if you want to re-confirm a count after registering a new connection. In practice, though, each message is billed separately at the same roughly Rs 2 rate, so repeated queries within a short window simply add up in cost without changing the underlying result unless something about your CNIC’s registered SIMs has actually changed in the meantime. If you have just added, disowned, or transferred a SIM, allow a short interval — typically at least several minutes, sometimes longer during high network load — before re-querying, since the update needs time to propagate through the operator’s systems before it will show up in a fresh 668 count.
Sending from a SIM that is itself unregistered or newly issued
668 identifies you as the sender only by the phone number the SMS arrives from, which your network then bills for the Rs 2 charge — it does not require that sending SIM to be biometrically re-verified before you can use the service. What it does require is that the sending SIM be live, in-network, and able to send a standard SMS at all. A SIM that has just been activated within the past few minutes, or one that is mid-way through a biometric re-verification hold, can sometimes experience a short delay before short-code messaging fully activates; if your brand-new SIM will not send to 668, give it a little time to fully register on the network before troubleshooting further.
A quick word on what 668 is not
Because the query is just a 13-digit number sent by SMS, some readers assume they could type in a friend’s or relative’s CNIC and quietly check their SIM count instead of their own. Technically the system does not verify that the CNIC belongs to the sender’s own phone before replying with a count. That does not make it a lawful or authorised thing to do: entering someone else’s CNIC without their knowledge or consent is still an unauthorised use of their identity information, and obtaining or using another person’s identity information without authorisation is exactly what PECA 2016, Section 16 exists to punish — the offence does not depend on whether the input is a phone number or a CNIC. Only send your own CNIC, or one you have that person’s explicit permission to check. Note too what the reply is even when someone tries anyway: a bare number of registered connections, never a name, never a phone number, never an address. 668 was never designed to identify a stranger from a phone number, and it cannot be pointed at a phone number at all — only a CNIC. If your actual goal is finding out who owns a mobile number, that is a completely different (and, done informally, illegal) request; our guide to checking SIM details by number explains exactly why and what you can lawfully do instead.
What it actually costs
How Much Does 668 Cost? Billing Mechanics Explained
A 668 query costs approximately Rs 2 including tax per message sent — it is not a free service, though the charge is small enough that most people never notice it. Whether that Rs 2 disappears instantly or shows up later depends on whether your connection is prepaid or postpaid, though PTA has not published the operator-level mechanics in detail.
Every mobile operator in Pakistan treats a message to a short code like 668 as a premium-rate SMS, billed by the sending network rather than by PTA itself. Rs 2 inclusive of tax is the figure consistently reported for this query, regardless of which network you are sending from — Jazz, Zong, Telenor/PTML, or Ufone.
Prepaid connections
PTA has not published a detailed, operator-by-operator breakdown of exactly how the 668 charge is deducted, so the following is a general expectation based on how premium-rate SMS billing typically works in Pakistan, not a confirmed 668-specific mechanism. On a prepaid connection, you would generally expect the Rs 2 charge to be deducted from your balance around the time the message is delivered, and a balance too low to cover the charge could plausibly mean the message does not go through at all. If you send a query and get no reply, checking your balance is a sensible first step regardless of the precise billing mechanics, which PTA has not documented in detail.
Postpaid connections
On a postpaid connection, the same general pattern for premium-rate billing in Pakistan would suggest the Rs 2 charge appears as a line item on your next monthly invoice rather than as any kind of instant, visible deduction. Because PTA has not published 668-specific billing documentation, postpaid users should not read too much into the presence or absence of an immediate charge notification either way — the reply from 668 itself remains the only real confirmation that a query actually went through.
Is 668 SIM check free?
No — 668 is not free. It is a low-cost, paid SMS service, and the roughly Rs 2 per-query charge is the trade-off for a result that arrives in seconds without needing internet access, a browser, or a CAPTCHA. If you want a genuinely free alternative that works from anywhere in the world (including outside Pakistan, where 668 cannot be used at all since it requires a live Pakistani SIM to send from), the web portal at cnic.sims.pk costs nothing to use. We compare the two properly later on this page.
When it goes quiet
Why Is 668 Not Replying? Reliability and Troubleshooting
Most “668 is not working” situations trace back to one of four causes: a formatting mistake in the message itself, insufficient prepaid balance, a temporary network-side delay, or sending from a SIM that is not currently live and registered. Work through them in that order before assuming the service is broken.
Step-by-step troubleshooting
- Re-check the exact message you sent. Open your sent items and count the digits — it must be exactly 13, with no hyphens, spaces, letters, or a “CNIC:” label attached.
- Confirm your SIM has sufficient balance (prepaid) or is active and unblocked (postpaid). A failed or silently-dropped premium SMS due to zero balance produces exactly the same symptom as a genuine system delay — nothing arrives.
- Wait a realistic amount of time before resending. Network-side delays of a few minutes are normal, especially during peak hours; resending the same query five times in a row within a minute does not speed anything up and may itself trigger a spam-style delay on some networks.
- Try a different SIM or network if you have one available. If the same query fails from one operator’s SIM but goes through on another, the issue was almost certainly on the first network’s side, not with 668 as a whole.
- Fall back to the web portal. If SMS delivery keeps failing, cnic.sims.pk performs the identical CNIC-to-SIM-count lookup over the internet at no cost, sidestepping any SMS delivery issue entirely.
- Only then consider it a genuine outage. Short code services occasionally go down for maintenance across an operator’s network; if the portal also fails to return a result for your CNIC, wait a few hours and try again rather than repeatedly resending.
A myth worth debunking here
A viral claim sometimes called “Operation Clean Sweep 3.0,” describing a supposed 72-hour window in which unregistered SIMs get suspended, has circulated on social media — but no such programme appears anywhere on PTA’s own website or press releases. Treat it as unverified misinformation, not a real enforcement action. The actual, historically documented PTA process for an unauthorised or unregistered SIM is considerably slower and follows a published sequence: a 7-day notice period to register the connection, followed by suspension of outgoing calls if unregistered after 13 days, followed by a full block of the SIM after 17 days. That real timeline — not a 72-hour cutoff — is the one PTA has actually put on record from the SIM Information System 668 era.
If you suspect fraud rather than a technical glitch
If a 668 or cnic.sims.pk count shows more SIMs registered against your CNIC than you recognise, that is not a reliability problem — it is a signal to act. File a complaint through PTA’s own portal at complaint.pta.gov.pk, or through the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency’s 24/7 helpline (1799) and portal at complaint.nccia.gov.pk if you believe the unauthorised SIM has been used for fraud or harassment. We keep the full identity-checking picture — including which official channels apply to which situation — on our homepage guide to SIM owner details.
This is not a hypothetical risk. PTA has published that roughly 85% of SIMs used in fraud cases belong to female CNIC holders — a real, sourced vulnerability, often because a SIM was registered by a family member or agent using a woman’s CNIC without her ongoing awareness of how many connections sit against her name (pta.gov.pk). A quick, regular 668 or portal check is exactly how that kind of unauthorised registration gets caught early, before it is used for harassment, fraud, or worse.
✅ Good practice with 668
- Run a 668 or portal check every few months, especially after any visit to a SIM retailer or franchise.
- Keep a mental note of your last known count so an unexpected jump is easy to spot.
- Act immediately through PTA or NCCIA channels if the count does not match SIMs you recognise.
- Use the free portal instead if you are abroad or want the fuller network-by-network breakdown.
🚫 Mistakes to avoid
- Sending your CNIC with dashes, spaces, or extra text and assuming the service is broken.
- Repeatedly resending the same query within seconds of a failed attempt, racking up charges for nothing.
- Providing your fingerprint or biometric data anywhere outside an authorised PTA-registered outlet, even if asked by someone claiming official authority.
- Assuming any SMS code, including 668, can tell you who owns someone else’s phone number.
Where 668 actually comes from
The Real History of PTA’s SIM Information System 668
668 is not a recent addition — it is one of the oldest consumer-facing telecom verification tools in Pakistan, with a documented launch in the SMS-based “SIM Information System” era of the late 2000s, still operating on the same basic principle nearly two decades later.
A PTA press release dates the SIM Information System 668 service to October 2009, describing it as handling roughly 100 million subscriber records at launch, inaugurated by the Secretary of IT and Telecom at a PTA Consumer Forum event (pta.gov.pk). A separate, earlier PTA record references a related “789 SIM Activation System” dating to February 2009, focused on SIM activation rather than post-activation counting — PTA’s own materials list both dates without explicitly framing one as a direct replacement of the other, so we do the same here rather than guessing at a lineage PTA has not stated itself.
Adoption over time
PTA has reported that since its launch, more than 12.6 million subscribers have used the SIM Information System, and notably, roughly 60% of web-based (portal) queries have come from overseas Pakistanis rather than residents inside the country (pta.gov.pk). That overseas skew makes sense: an expatriate cannot send an SMS to a Pakistani short code from a foreign SIM, so the web-portal route (what is now cnic.sims.pk) has always been the practical option for the diaspora, while 668 remained the fast, no-internet-required option for people physically inside Pakistan on a live local SIM.
A dedicated facility for regularising extra connections
PTA later introduced an online facility specifically for overseas Pakistanis to regularise or block extra SIMs and connections registered against their CNIC, made available both on PTA’s own website and through cellular operators’ websites, backed by PTA’s general helpline on 0800-55055. This matters because a bare SIM count — whether from 668 or the portal — is only useful if you also know what to do when that count looks wrong; this facility, plus the complaint channels covered above, is the actual next step.
What underpins every one of these checks
All of this sits on top of PTA’s biometric verification framework, officially named the Multi Random Finger Biometric Verification System (MBVS), which performs online verification against NADRA records for new SIM purchases, duplicate SIM issuance, ownership transfers, mobile number portability, re-verification, and SIM disowning, requiring a maximum of two successful fingerprint impressions taken at an authorised Customer Service Centre, franchise, or registered retailer (pta.gov.pk). PTA has explicitly warned that fraudsters sometimes attempt to collect fingerprints on unauthorised machines or paper while posing as government officials — never provide biometric data outside a verified, authorised outlet. For the full institutional picture of how 668, the MBVS framework, and PTA’s wider verification system fit together, see our dedicated SIM Information System deep-dive.
Why 668 still relies on a CNIC, not your face
668 has not fundamentally changed its input method since 2009 — it still asks for a CNIC number typed by hand, rather than any form of biometric or facial confirmation. That is unlikely to change imminently: in August 2026, a public disagreement emerged between NADRA and PTA over extending SIM verification to facial recognition. NADRA had proposed in 2025 that its own “PakID” app be used for facial-recognition-based verification, and cellular operators completed a proof of concept — but by August 2026, NADRA instead proposed that telecom operators install their own capture equipment at retail outlets, with data passed to operators and then to NADRA for verification, and operators barred from storing biometric data themselves. PTA said it was exploring alternatives, including one operator’s own mobile app, before running a further proof of concept (ProPakistani, 25 August 2026). As of this writing, facial-recognition SIM verification is not live for the public — 668 and the fingerprint-based MBVS framework remain the operative systems.
Why the underlying accountability matters, not just the count
A 668 count only tells you how many SIMs exist against your CNIC — it says nothing about whether the operator that issued them followed proper authorisation procedures. PTA’s own enforcement record shows this gap is real: on 31 August 2026, PTA fined Jazz Rs 38.9 million after finding the operator’s documentation “incomplete” and lacking mandatory corporate authorisations and end-user credentials for nearly 400 corporate SIMs issued in one company’s name without proper authorisation (Business Recorder; Daily Pakistan). PTA stated explicitly that “an operator’s responsibility does not end once a corporate SIM is issued” and that operators cannot delegate verification responsibility to corporate customers or sales channels; Jazz was ordered to pay within 30 days. The lesson for an ordinary reader: a 668 check is your window into that accountability chain — if a count looks wrong, the operator, not just the SIM itself, is answerable for how that connection was authorised.
Terms you may see online that are not official
You may occasionally see references to a “Subscriber Verification Management System (SVMS)” or a “Central SIM Database (CSMD)” described as the official name behind 668. Neither term appears on pta.gov.pk in any press release or policy document we could find — they circulate only on unrelated SEO and competitor sites. PTA’s own materials simply call the service the “SIM Information System 668.” Similarly, the on-screen branding on the web portal reads “PMD SIM Information System” — that is a first-hand-observed fact from the live portal, but no PTA publication we found spells out what “PMD” stands for, so we state the brand name as observed rather than guessing at its meaning.
Two tools, one purpose
668 vs cnic.sims.pk: Which Should You Use?
Both 668 and the cnic.sims.pk web portal return exactly the same underlying information — a per-operator count of SIMs registered against a CNIC — but they differ enough in speed, cost, accessibility, and detail that the right choice depends entirely on where you are and what device is in front of you.
668 wins on pure speed and simplicity if you are already holding a live Pakistani SIM with signal and balance: there is no browser, no CAPTCHA, and no typing beyond thirteen digits. The portal wins on accessibility, detail, and cost: it is completely free, works from any country with an internet connection, requires solving a reCAPTCHA rather than paying a fee, and — unlike 668’s single number back — returns a full dated table broken down by network: Jazz, Telenor, Ufone/PTML, and Zong, each split into Voice+Data SIMs, Data-Only SIMs, and a Total column, with every network shown even when the count for it is zero.
One detail worth flagging: Telenor and Ufone are now one line
Following Telenor Pakistan’s amalgamation into PTML (Ufone’s parent company), completed 1 July 2026, readers checking the portal today should not be surprised that ONIC-branded SIMs fold into the Ufone/PTML row rather than appearing separately — the portal does not show a distinct ONIC row, and it likewise has no separate SCO row, since SCO serves Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan under its own arrangement rather than appearing as a standalone consumer-facing row on this particular table.
| Factor | 668 (SMS) | cnic.sims.pk (web portal) |
|---|---|---|
| Input accepted | Pakistani CNIC only, 13 digits | CNIC or Foreign ID (separate tabs) |
| Where it works | Only from a live Pakistani SIM with signal | Anywhere in the world with internet access |
| Cost | ~Rs 2 incl. tax per query | Free |
| Verification step | None — just send the SMS | reCAPTCHA required |
| Result detail | One combined number per operator (a total count) | Full table: Voice+Data, Data Only, and Total per network, dated |
| Speed | Seconds, once delivered | Seconds, once CAPTCHA is solved |
| Best suited for | Residents inside Pakistan wanting a quick check | Overseas Pakistanis and anyone wanting the fuller breakdown |
| Names, numbers, or addresses shown | Never | Never |
If you have not already worked through the full step-by-step walkthrough of both tools together — including screenshots of the portal’s CNIC and Foreign ID tabs — our main CNIC SIM check guide covers that task-level workflow in depth; this page is deliberately the deeper reference on 668 specifically, not a repeat of that walkthrough. For the wider picture of every lawful way to check SIM owner details in Pakistan, our SIM owner details homepage ties all of these tools together in one place.
Don’t mix up the codes
668 vs 667 vs 76367: Three Different Short Codes, Three Different Jobs
668, 667, and 76367 are three completely separate PTA and operator services that get confused constantly because they all involve a short SMS code — but they answer three different questions, and none of them can identify a stranger from their phone number.
In brief: 668 takes a CNIC and returns a SIM count for that CNIC across all operators. 667 (send the word “MNP”) is a strict self-check — it does not accept a CNIC or a phone number as input at all, and instead returns details about the very SIM that sent the message: a registered name, a partly masked CNIC, IMSI, activation date, and connection type. Crucially, 667 can never be pointed at someone else’s number under any framing, because it takes no number as input in the first place — it only ever discloses the sender’s own record. 76367 (send “N” followed by an 11-digit number) is different again: it returns only the current network of that number — Jazz, Zong, Telenor, or Ufone — for roughly Rs 2 plus tax, and never a name, CNIC, or address.
For a full side-by-side comparison of 667 and 76367 — including exact message formats, what each field in a 667 reply actually means, and worked examples — see our dedicated guide to checking SIM details by number, which covers that ground in the depth it deserves rather than repeating it here.
Apni zaban mein
668 Ka Poora Tareeqa — Aasan Alfaaz Mein
Agar aap apne naam par kitni SIMs registered hain, ye jaldi check karna chahte hain, to sabse purana aur sabse tez tareeqa yehi hai — apna 13-digit CNIC number, bina dash aur bina space ke, seedha 668 par SMS kar dein. Jawab kuch hi second mein aa jata hai, aur us mein sirf ek ginti hoti hai — har company (Jazz, Zong, Ufone, Telenor/PTML) ke against kitni SIMs chal rahi hain. Naam, number, ya address kabhi nahi aata — ye tool sirf counting ke liye bana hai, kisi ko dhoondhne ke liye nahi.
Bohat se log galti se dash laga dete hain ya space chhod dete hain, jis se system reply hi nahi bhejta — agar aapko koi jawab nahi mil raha, sabse pehle apna sent message check karein ke usme sirf 13 digits hain ya nahi. Balance bhi zaroor dekhein, kyun ke har query ka charge lagbhag Rs 2 hota hai, aur agar balance kam ho to message fail ho sakta hai bina kisi warning ke.
Ye system koi naya nahi — PTA ne ise October 2009 mein launch kiya tha, us waqt taqreeban 10 crore subscriber records is system mein the. Aaj tak 1.26 crore se zyada logon ne ise use kiya hai, jin mein se 60% overseas Pakistani hain jo internet portal se check karte hain kyun ke woh 668 par SMS nahi bhej sakte. Agar aap Pakistan se bahar hain, ya foreign ID rakhte hain, to cnic.sims.pk portal aapke liye zyada munasib hai — woh bilkul free hai aur duniya mein kahin se bhi chal jata hai.
Yahan ek zaroori baat: kisi doosre insaan ka CNIC uski ijazat ke baghair 668 par bhejna bhi ghalat hai, chahe jawab mein sirf ek ginti hi kyun na aaye — kisi aur ki identity information bina ijazat ke istemal karna PECA 2016, Section 16 ke tehat jurm hai, chahe woh phone number ho ya CNIC. Sirf apna CNIC bhejein, ya us insaan ka jiski aapko khaas ijazat ho.
Aakhri baat: 668 kisi ka bhi naam ya address bata kar identity leak nahi karta, aur na hi kisi ko doosre ka number daal kar us insaan ka pata lagane deta hai. Agar aapka asal maqsad kisi anjaan number ke peeche wale insaan ko jaanna hai, to ye kaanooni tareeqa nahi — PECA 2016 ke tehat ye jurm hai.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How does 668 SIM check work?
You send your own 13-digit CNIC number, with no dashes or spaces, as a plain SMS to the short code 668 from a live Pakistani mobile SIM. PTA’s SIM Information System 668 replies within seconds with a per-operator count of SIM connections registered against that CNIC — never a name, number, or address.
What format does 668 need?
Exactly 13 digits, nothing else — no hyphens, no spaces, no “CNIC:” label, and no letters. Your CNIC as printed (e.g. 35202-1234567-1) should be sent as 3520212345671. Foreign ID and POC numbers are not accepted by 668 at all; use the cnic.sims.pk portal’s Foreign ID tab instead.
Why is 668 not replying?
The most common causes are a formatting mistake (dashes, spaces, or wrong digit count), insufficient prepaid balance, or a temporary network delay. Re-check your sent message for exactly 13 digits, confirm your balance, wait a few minutes, and try the free cnic.sims.pk portal if SMS delivery keeps failing.
How much does 668 cost?
Approximately Rs 2 including tax per query. PTA has not published detailed operator-by-operator billing mechanics, but prepaid users would generally expect the amount deducted from their balance around the time of delivery, while postpaid users would generally expect it added as a line item on their next monthly bill rather than an immediate visible deduction.
Is 668 SIM check free?
No, 668 is a paid premium SMS service costing roughly Rs 2 including tax per query. If you want a free alternative that also works from outside Pakistan, use the cnic.sims.pk web portal instead, which returns the same CNIC-to-SIM-count information at no charge.
Can I check someone else’s CNIC using 668?
Technically the system does not verify whose CNIC you type in, but doing so without that person’s knowledge or consent is not an authorised use — obtaining or using another person’s identity information without authorisation is an offence under PECA 2016, Section 16, whether the input is a phone number or a CNIC. Even setting that aside, 668 only ever returns a bare SIM count — never a name, phone number, or address — so it cannot identify a stranger. Only send your own CNIC, or one you have explicit permission to check.
Does 668 work if I am outside Pakistan?
No. 668 requires sending an SMS from a live, signal-connected Pakistani SIM, so it cannot be used from abroad. Overseas Pakistanis should use the free cnic.sims.pk web portal instead, which works from any country with an internet connection and needs no Pakistani SIM at all.
What is the difference between 668 and cnic.sims.pk?
668 is a fast, paid (~Rs 2) SMS check giving one combined SIM count per operator, usable only from a live Pakistani SIM. cnic.sims.pk is a free web portal, usable worldwide, that returns a fuller dated table split into Voice+Data and Data-Only SIMs per network, behind a reCAPTCHA step.
Is “PTA 668 SIM verification” the official name of this service?
PTA’s own press releases name the service the “SIM Information System 668,” launched per a PTA release dated October 2009. Terms like “Subscriber Verification Management System (SVMS)” that sometimes appear online are not found on pta.gov.pk and should not be treated as official.
What is the difference between 668, 667, and 76367?
668 takes a CNIC and returns a SIM count. 667 (send “MNP”) is a self-check only, returning the sending SIM’s own registered name, masked CNIC, and activation date — it never accepts a phone number. 76367 (send “N” plus a number) returns only that number’s current network, never a name.
Who launched 668 and when?
PTA launched the SIM Information System 668 in October 2009, inaugurated by the Secretary of IT and Telecom at a PTA Consumer Forum, initially handling around 100 million subscriber records. A related “789 SIM Activation System” is separately recorded from February 2009.
How many people have used the SIM Information System?
PTA has reported over 12.6 million subscribers have used the SIM Information System since its launch, with roughly 60% of web-portal queries coming from overseas Pakistanis — a reflection of the fact that 668’s SMS route only works from inside Pakistan on a live local SIM.
Can 668 tell me who owns a phone number?
No. 668 only accepts a CNIC as input, not a phone number, and only ever returns a SIM count, never an identity. No legal public tool discloses a stranger’s name or address from a phone number; see our guide on checking SIM details by number for the lawful alternatives.
