Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has formally granted prior approval for the introduction of e& as the unified brand identity of the merged entity of Pak Telecom Mobile Limited and Telenor Pakistan, putting to rest weeks of speculation over whether regulatory clearance for the rebranding was still pending. According to an official letter dated June 16, the telecom regulator approved the joint request submitted by both companies for the modification of their existing brand names and the introduction of a unified e& identity across Pakistan following their amalgamation.
The approval was issued with the condition that the merger be completed in accordance with applicable laws and the court approved amalgamation scheme. Pakistan Telecommunication Authority also directed Pak Telecom Mobile Limited, the surviving entity after the merger, to formally notify the regulator before any commercial launch or marketing campaign for the new brand begins. The letter references the authority’s earlier decision from March 18, which allowed the transfer of Telenor Pakistan’s licences and its amalgamation into Pak Telecom Mobile Limited, as well as the company’s application from April 16 seeking approval for the new brand identity.
The development marks the resolution of a regulatory back and forth that had unfolded over the preceding weeks. Pakistan Telecommunication Authority had earlier directed Pak Telecom Mobile Limited not to launch or modify any brand name until all legal formalities, including a required notification from the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan regarding the company’s board of directors, had been completed. That notification appears to have since been submitted, clearing the way for the regulator’s latest approval. The Islamabad High Court had separately sanctioned the scheme of amalgamation between the two companies on June 24, while the Pak Telecom Mobile Limited board had already approved adoption of the e& brand ahead of the regulatory clearance now confirmed.
With the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s approval now in place, all major corporate and regulatory steps required for the rebranding have been completed, removing uncertainty over whether the merged operator could proceed with its planned identity change. The e& name reflects the merged company’s connection to UAE based telecom group e&, formerly known as Etisalat, which holds a 26 percent stake in Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited along with management control. Despite the regulatory clearance, the proposed branding has drawn debate in some quarters, with questions raised over the omission of the word Pakistan from the new brand name and whether adequate due diligence was carried out before the rebranding was approved for a company in which the government continues to hold a significant stake. The latest approval nonetheless paves the way for the merged operator to move toward a commercial rollout of the e& brand across the country in the coming months.
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