Business Desk 
Nov 18, 2025
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is expected to announce its decision on PTCL’s acquisition of Telenor Pakistan by the end of November.
The regulator is currently holding hearings with both Telenor and Ufone, reviewing submissions before issuing a formal order, ProPakistani reported.
After PTA issues a No Objection Certificate (NOC), Telenor will approach the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and the State Bank of Pakistan for approvals. The merger application will come back to PTA for final approval following management changes.
The deal reached a major milestone earlier when the Competition Commission of Pakistan approved PTCL's purchase of Telenor Pakistan and Orion Towers.
To safeguard fair competition, the CCP imposed strong conditions, including independent boards and management for both PTCL and the merged entity.
UAE-based Etisalat, PTCL's parent company, is also required to ensure senior leadership meets high fitness and integrity standards.
Several protections have been implemented to prevent anti-competitive behaviour. An independent third-party monitor will be placed in charge of oversight of compliance, auditing of transactions, and quarterly reports to CCP for five years.
Moreover, no cross-subsidisation is allowed, and related-party transactions must be at arm's length. Non-discriminatory access to infrastructure is also guaranteed.
In addition, PTCL and the combined operator are required to file all existing and future Reference Interconnect Offers for approval by the PTA.
The regulator further instructed PTCL to seek PTA approval of wholesale pricing, which covers the following: IP bandwidth, long-distance international services, domestic leased lines, and telecom infrastructure provided to licensees.
Notably, predatory pricing is prohibited, and standards on quality of service, innovation, and tariff will be implemented.
The PTCL-Telenor merger, valued at around $400 million on a cash-free, debt-free basis, was first signed in December 2023 and formalised in August 2024.
