ISLAMABAD: The Privatisation Commission has stopped the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) from approving the proposed rebranding of Ufone as “e&”, saying the matter requires approval at the government-to-government level.
PTA Chairman said the commission had instructed the telecom regulator not to proceed with the proposed brand change following the merger of Ufone and Telenor Pakistan.
According to the chairman, the issue involves commitments between the governments concerned and therefore cannot be settled solely through a regulatory decision.
Meanwhile, the government has yet to reach a final decision on replacing the established Ufone brand, with consultations among relevant authorities continuing.
PTML Sought PTA Approval for Brand Change
Briefing the Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecom, the IT and Telecom Secretary said Pakistan Telecommunication Mobile Limited (PTML) had formally approached PTA for permission to rename Ufone as e&.
However, the secretary said different views had emerged from PTA and the Competition Commission of Pakistan over the proposed rebranding.
Consequently, authorities are continuing consultations and examining the issue from regulatory, policy and other relevant perspectives before reaching a decision.
Senate Committee Seeks Clarity on Approval Process
The Senate committee also discussed the proposed rebranding in the context of the Ufone-Telenor Pakistan merger and sought clarity over the procedure required to change an established telecom brand.
Moreover, officials told lawmakers that further consultations would take place before authorities made any final determination.
The IT secretary stressed that the government had not yet approved replacing the Ufone name with e&.
Therefore, Ufone’s proposed rebranding remains pending while authorities determine the appropriate approval mechanism and examine the implications arising from the merger and existing government-level commitments.
