Islamabad (HRNW)- The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has proposed removing the one-year limit for reviewing approvals granted for telecom mergers and other major transactions, seeking authority to reconsider such decisions whenever new information, regulatory concerns, or changes in market conditions arise. The proposal is part of the draft Telecommunication Competition Rules 2026 prepared by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication.
Under the ministry’s current draft, the PTA would be able to review, revise, modify, or withdraw an approval within one year of its issuance. The regulator has proposed replacing that fixed period with wording that would allow it to reconsider an earlier decision “as and when required.”
If adopted, the amendment would effectively remove the time limit for reopening previously approved telecom transactions. The PTA says such reconsideration could be triggered by changed market conditions, material facts that emerge later, or new regulatory concerns.
The proposed rules would cover a broad range of transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, amalgamations, joint ventures, transfers of control, spectrum consolidation, and corporate restructuring where these activities could materially affect competition, market concentration, infrastructure access, consumer welfare, or continuity of telecom services.
Under the proposed framework, the PTA could also impose transaction-specific conditions while issuing a No Objection Certificate (NOC) and require behavioural, administrative, or operational safeguards where considered necessary.
The draft competition rules have not yet been finalized. The Ministry of IT previously shared the draft with the PTA for comments, and the regulatory framework has also been affected by a jurisdictional dispute between the PTA and the Competition Commission of Pakistan over competition-related powers in the telecom sector.
The proposal comes amid significant changes in Pakistan’s telecom market, including recent consolidation involving major operators. The PTA has recently been dealing with regulatory issues arising from the merger of Ufone and Telenor Pakistan, highlighting the importance of the proposed competition framework.
The proposed amendment remains subject to further consideration by the Ministry of IT and the wider rule-making process before any new regulatory powers take effect.
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