Like every mobile network, Etisalat secures its SIM cards with a security code called PUK (Personal Unlocking Key). You must use this code when your SIM card is locked following repeated attempts of entering your PIN (Personal Identification Number), which is four digits long. A PIN is a code that lets you lock your SIM card to avoid unauthorized access. When you enter the wrong PIN three times in a row, your SIM, Etisalat or otherwise, locks up and asks for the PUK code you need to find.
In this state, your SIM doesn’t work at all. Factory reset won’t help either, as it clears the phone data and settings, not the SIM-related ones. Only the aforementioned code can solve this problem, and every SIM card comes with a default 8-digit PUK number. As an Etisalat customer, you have various ways to get to this code, and the methods we’ll demonstrate below don’t require you to be proficient in using technology. Without wasting any more time, let’s start studying them one after another.
1. Find PUK for your SIM on the Etisalat website
Remember how you can visit Etisalat’s official website and log in to your account using your phone number? Shortly afterward, you will receive an OTP (one-time password) in the form of an SMS to authenticate. After you enter the correct OTP, you can navigate to the home page and find your PUK code inside the dashboard, alongside other information.
However, if access to your SIM card is blocked in the first place, you cannot receive the OTP the carrier sends. With that in mind, this method won’t work if you seek your PUK after the SIM is locked. Use this method only when your SIM is active, write the code down, and keep it safe for times when you enter your PIN incorrectly.
2. Call Etisalat helpline from the carrier’s number
The second option includes calling the helpline number for Etisalat at 500 from any phone with the carrier’s SIM card. The helpline number is toll-free, too. Unsurprisingly, if your Etisalat SIM is locked, you will need another phone with the carrier’s number to make the call. When you do, talk to a customer care representative to learn what your Etisalat SIM card’s PUK number is.
Expectedly, before revealing it to you, the individual will need to verify your identity by asking some questions. These questions would include bits of information about your identity or the serial number of a blocked Etisalat SIM card, printed on its back. You may also get off by providing your Etisalat mobile number. After you correctly provide the requested information, and you get the 8-digit code, jot it down for safekeeping or unlocking your SIM.
3. Dialing Etisalat Customer Care from another number
If you don’t have an Etisalat mobile phone number to call the helpline, don’t worry. Etisalat has another helpline number for non-users that is also toll-free: 0111234500. You can call this number from any mobile or landline number that isn’t from the carrier’s network, say, Du or Warid. Repeat the same process as in the previous section, and you will be provided with a SIM PUK code. Enter the code on the screen for the locked SIM, then reset the SIM PIN. Your SIM card will be unlocked and ready to use.
4. Inspect your Etisalat SIM card package to find PUK code
If you have kept your Etisalat card kit with you, you are lucky. That’s because the PUK code is printed at the back of the plastic frame you snap the SIM card out of. To clarify, the default PUK code for Etisalat SIM is displayed there, hence you don’t have to go look elsewhere to find it. Unfortunately, if the SIM kit is already discarded or lost, you will need to use the other methods we mentioned so far. That’s why it is recommended to note down the code (and other numbers) on the SIM kit and preserve them for future use if you are about to discard the kit.
Remember that if you enter the PUK code wrong 10 times in a row, your Etisalat SIM card will be deactivated permanently. You will be left with no other option but to buy a new SIM card, submitting all the required documents again. Most importantly, PUK code is sensitive information, so don’t share it with others. After all, its purpose is to avert unauthorized access to your SIM data. If you don’t want your SIM card to ask for a PUK code again, consider disabling the SIM PIN function.