The Privatisation Commission has directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to halt approval of the proposed rebranding of Ufone as “e&,” stating that the decision falls under a reserved matter between the governments involved and cannot be settled at the regulatory level alone.
The PTA Chairman disclosed the directive while responding to media queries, confirming that the Commission had instructed the regulator to withhold approval of the brand name change following the merger of Ufone and Telenor Pakistan.
PTA Chairman said that the issue was tied to commitments made between the two governments concerned, placing it beyond the sole authority of the regulator to decide.
The rebranding proposal remains undecided, with consultations among relevant government bodies still ongoing. Briefing the Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecommunications, the Secretary IT and Telecom said Pakistan Telecommunication Mobile Limited (PTML) had formally requested the permission of PTA to rename Ufone as “e&.”
He noted that the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) and PTA held differing views on the matter, and that consultations were continuing as the government examined the issue from multiple angles.
The secretary confirmed that no final decision had been made on replacing the Ufone brand with e&. Committee members raised questions about the regulatory process for approving such a change, particularly in light of the Ufone-Telenor merger.
The Secretary IT reiterated that the matter remained under review, with further consultations required before a decision is finalised. The committee also examined the broader regulatory and policy implications of altering an established telecom brand.
