PTA's Class Value Added Services framework has two distinct authorization tiers: a full CVAS License and a CVAS Registration. They cover different service categories, have different application requirements, different fees, and different ongoing obligations. Using the wrong category for your service type means either going through a more demanding process than necessary, or applying for a lighter authorization when your service actually requires a full license.
Which Services Fall Under Each Category
CVAS Licenses cover services with broader commercial scope and greater infrastructure requirements. The current license categories that remain open for new applications are Data Services (covering VPN services, vehicle tracking services, and similar data-focused offerings) and Voice Services (covering card payphone services, premium rate services, and trunk radio services). These service types require a full license because they involve providing communications services to end users at a level of infrastructure and regulatory accountability that warrants the heavier authorization.
CVAS Registration covers services that operate closer to the application layer without the same infrastructure commitment: SMS aggregation, content services, and voicemail services. A registration rather than a license is the appropriate authorization because these services typically sit on top of existing network infrastructure operated by licensed carriers rather than deploying their own.
The practical test for which you need: if you are providing a communication or data service directly to end users on your own infrastructure, you almost certainly need a license. If you are providing a value-added service that rides on top of an existing licensed network under a contract with that licensee, a registration is the likely correct path, subject to the specific service type.
Note that CVAS Internet Services at the provincial and nationwide level is currently suspended for new applications. New ISPs providing internet access at the district level apply under the separate Class License for Internet Services at District Level rather than a CVAS license.
Application Requirements: License vs Registration
A full CVAS License requires the complete application package: a five-year business plan with financial projections, initial project cost statement, detailed technical plan, six months of bank statements, corporate documents, and the legal undertaking. The application processing fee is PKR 5,500, with an initial license fee that varies by coverage area (provincial or nationwide) and commercial versus not-for-profit status.
A CVAS Registration has a lighter application requirement: no five-year business plan is required. The registration application covers the corporate documents, an applicant profile form, director and authorized representative details, a technical plan appropriate to the service, and the legal undertaking. For SMS Aggregator services specifically, signed SLAs with the network operators the service will operate over are additionally required. The registration fee is PKR 10,000, and there is no separate initial license fee for the registration category.
Both categories require a written compliance undertaking for CTDISR-2025, which means CTDISR obligations apply to registered operators as well as licensed ones, proportionate to the scale and nature of the service.
Duration and Renewal
CVAS Licenses are typically issued for a five-year term, subject to the specific terms in the license conditions. CVAS Registrations are issued for a five-year term. Both require renewal before expiry to maintain continuous authorized status.
The renewal requirements for both categories involve demonstrating compliance with CTDISR-2025 and meeting financial obligations to PTA. A clean compliance record during the registration or license term is the most straightforward path to renewal without complications.
Ongoing Obligations After Authorization
Both license and registration holders are subject to the full CTDISR-2025 compliance framework, CISO appointment, annual risk assessment, incident reporting, and the other 104 controls applicable to their service type. The scale of implementation required may be lighter for a registration holder operating a simpler service, but the regulatory obligation to comply exists regardless.
Annual fees are payable for license holders. Registration holders have a one-time registration fee structure without recurring annual fees under PTA's current published schedule, though this should be confirmed at application time since fee schedules are revised periodically.
If you are unsure whether your service requires a CVAS License or a Registration, the PTA License Finder on this site walks through the decision based on your service type. For the application preparation process, our ISP Consulting & Advisory practice covers both license and registration applications.