Govt Again Blocks Ufone-Telenor’s Push to Rebrand As e&

The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has halted the PTA's decision-making authority to approve Ufone's proposed rebranding to "e&", citing the matter as a reserved issue between the relevant governments needing final approval from both. PTA chairman disclosed this to media inquiries, explaining that the commission had instructed the regulator to refrain from granting approval due to the involvement of commitments between the two governments, making the decision unsuitable for regulatory level decision-making alone.

This occurred as the government has yet to make a final decision on the proposed rebranding, with ongoing consultations among the relevant authorities. The Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunications, chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan, discussed this issue during a meeting. The IT Ministry secretary confirmed that PTCL had submitted an application to the PTA seeking permission to alter Ufone's brand name to "E&", yet the consultation process is still in progress, with divergent views emerging from the CCP and PTA.

The secretary added that no final decision has been made. This rebranding followed PTCL's acquisition and amalgamation of Telenor Pakistan into Pak Telecom Mobile Limited after undergoing regulatory and court approvals. The merged entity aimed to replace the Ufone brand with "e&", the global identity of PTCL's UAE-based strategic shareholder, Etisalat.

However, the PTA placed a hold on the branding exercise, directing PTML to complete the necessary legal and corporate formalities, including notification from the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan. The proposal raised questions within the government about PTML's ability to adopt the "e&" name as a subsidiary of PTCL and whether the change could lead to legal, copyright, or royalty issues.