Ufone-Telenor Rebranding To “e&” Stalled Over Intergovernmental Approval.
✧ GENERATE BRIEFING +
Pakistan’s Privatisation Commission has intervened to halt the proposed rebranding of the newly merged Ufone and Telenor Pakistan operations to the UAE-based “e&” identity, ruling that the decision requires formal intergovernmental approval rather than standard telecom regulatory sign-off. The ruling places a major procedural hurdle before the brand transition, which is managed under Pak Telecom Mobile Limited (PTML).While the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had previously granted conditional approval earlier in September 2026, the Privatisation Commission directed the regulator to freeze the rollout. Authorities emphasize that because the "e&" moniker is tied directly to the Emirates Telecommunications Group—which holds a strategic stake in PTCL stemming from past privatization agreements—altering national brand assets involves bilateral commitments between the governments of Pakistan and the UAE. Although the operational merger remains fully intact, the commercial rebranding is frozen pending high-level policy coordination.
Pakistan’s Privatisation Commission has stopped the proposed rebranding of the merged Ufone-Telenor operation to “e&”, saying the matter requires approval at the intergovernmental level rather than being decided solely by the telecom regulator.
The development places a fresh hurdle before the proposed brand change following the merger of Ufone and Telenor Pakistan. The merged operations are being managed under Pak Telecom Mobile Limited (PTML), while the proposed “e&” identity is linked to the UAE-based Etisalat Group.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman confirmed that the Privatisation Commission had directed the regulator not to proceed with approving the proposed brand change. According to the commission’s position, the issue involves commitments between the two governments and therefore falls outside the PTA’s authority alone.
The decision comes after the rebranding proposal had already gone through several stages of regulatory consideration. PTA had reportedly given conditional approval earlier in September, subject to completion of legal formalities before the new identity could be commercially launched.
The proposed rebranding had also come under scrutiny from the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication. The committee was scheduled to receive a briefing on the reported change of Ufone’s name to “e&” following the merger with Telenor Pakistan.
Government officials have previously indicated that the matter involves broader legal, corporate-governance and policy considerations. The Competition Commission of Pakistan and PTA have also held differing views on aspects of the proposal, with further government consultations required before a final decision.
The latest intervention does not mean that the Ufone-Telenor merger itself has been cancelled. Rather, it affects the proposed branding of the combined mobile operation. The merged business continues to operate while the government determines whether and under what conditions the new identity can be adopted.
The dispute also highlights the wider significance of the transaction because of the involvement of Etisalat, which acquired a strategic stake in PTCL during its privatisation. The government is therefore treating the proposed brand change as an issue extending beyond a routine corporate rebranding decision.
