The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority told lawmakers that the merger between Ufone and Telenor Pakistan will be completed before March 10, ahead of the country’s upcoming 5G spectrum auction. The update was shared during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology in Islamabad.
PTA Chairman informed the committee that the Ufone-Telenor transaction has entered its final stage and that the regulator is conducting a last review of all required merger documents. He said regulatory formalities are being completed on priority to ensure the process concludes before the auction timeline begins.
The development comes at a critical moment as Pakistan prepares to auction 5G spectrum on March 10, a process expected to shape the future structure of the telecom market and determine investment patterns for next generation mobile services. Officials indicated that completing the merger before the auction would help avoid uncertainty during the bidding process.
Members of the standing committee raised concerns over market concentration and the risk of reduced competition following consolidation in the telecom sector. The committee chairman stressed that the merger must not result in dominance by any single operator or weaken consumer choice.
Responding to these concerns, the PTA chairman said the authority has imposed regulatory caps to prevent monopolization. He said safeguards are in place to ensure no single operator gains excessive control of the market following the merger and that competition, pricing, and service quality remain protected.
The completion of the Ufone-Telenor merger ahead of the 5G auction is being viewed as a significant shift in Pakistan’s telecom landscape. Industry observers expect the consolidation to influence bidding dynamics, spectrum allocation, and long term investment capacity as operators prepare for the rollout of next generation networks.
