Pakistan’s telecom sector is still waiting for dedicated competition rules as a long-running jurisdictional dispute between the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) and Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) continues to delay the framework. Official documents show that disagreement over which institution has the legal authority to formulate the rules remains the central issue, despite several drafts, consultations and regulatory discussions over the past decade.
The matter dates back to 2016, when Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) submitted an initial draft of the Telecom Competition Rules to MoITT. The ministry subsequently conducted public consultations between 2017 and 2018 before sending the draft to the Ministry of Law and Justice for legal vetting. PTA continued to request progress on the framework, while another updated draft was submitted in 2022. The process remained unresolved, and MoITT circulated a revised draft in January 2026. PTA provided its comments in March, followed by further discussions between the relevant institutions. On July 7, 2026, MoITT shared another revised version, after which PTA submitted its latest feedback on July 27. The repeated revisions indicate that the proposed framework has yet to move past the disagreement over regulatory jurisdiction.
At the center of the dispute is the question of whether MoITT has the authority to formulate sector specific competition rules or whether the responsibility falls under CCP. According to PTA, Section 57 of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act and Clause 5.1.2 of Telecom Policy 2015 provide the federal government and MoITT with the authority to develop the framework. CCP, however, maintains that competition regulation falls within its own statutory mandate. The Islamabad High Court addressed the jurisdictional question in a November 1, 2025 ruling involving petitions filed by major telecom operators including Jazz, Telenor, Zong, Ufone and PTCL. The court held that CCP has overarching jurisdiction over competition matters across economic sectors, including telecommunications, while PTA remains responsible for technical and operational regulation. The ruling distinguished between the Competition Act, 2010 and Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act, 1996, allowing the two regulatory frameworks to operate in their respective areas.
The continued delay has become more significant as Pakistan’s telecom market undergoes major changes, including the rollout of 5G services and consolidation among operators. The absence of dedicated telecom competition rules creates uncertainty around how anti-competitive conduct, market dominance, collusive arrangements and other competition related issues should be handled within the sector. Earlier discussions in the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication also raised concerns over the prolonged absence of formal rules, particularly following the PTCL and Telenor Pakistan merger. The regulatory gap has added pressure on government institutions to settle their differences and finalize the framework. With telecom operators investing in next generation networks and Pakistan seeking additional digital sector investment, the unresolved dispute between MoITT and CCP continues to hold up rules that were originally envisaged under Telecom Policy 2015.
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