ISLAMABAD:
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is expected to announce its decision on the proposed merger between Ufone 4G and Telenor Pakistan on Wednesday after completing the final stage of the regulatory review process, officials familiar with the matter said.
Sources said the regulator had initially planned to make the announcement earlier this week but postponed it after Hatem Bamatraf, President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) and Ufone, was unable to attend a key meeting required under the merger review framework.
Under the procedural requirements, PTCL management is scheduled to meet the PTA’s merger authority before the final decision is publicly communicated. Officials said the minutes of the meeting are expected to be issued the same day following discussions between the regulator and PTCL representatives.
Once the interaction concludes and the minutes are formally recorded, the PTA is likely to issue its final ruling on the proposed consolidation of Ufone and Telenor Pakistan.
The transaction, which has been under regulatory scrutiny for several months, is considered one of the most significant consolidation moves in Pakistan’s telecom sector in recent years. If approved, the deal would combine the operations of Ufone and Telenor Pakistan, potentially reshaping competition in the country’s mobile telecommunications market.
Industry analysts say the merger could strengthen the financial and operational capacity of the combined entity, enabling greater network investment, broader coverage and improved service quality for consumers.
Pakistan’s telecom market currently comprises four major mobile network operators. Approval of the Ufone–Telenor deal would reduce the number of operators to three — a development regulators have been examining closely in terms of market competition, spectrum concentration and potential impact on consumers.
Officials said the PTA has already completed the technical, legal and competition assessments required under the regulatory framework governing mergers and acquisitions in the telecom sector.
With the final procedural meeting expected this week, the authority is widely anticipated to formally announce its decision on Wednesday.
