Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has directed the newly merged Ufone-Telenor entity to submit complete details of its legal, financial, administrative, and operational structure, making clear that no new logo or brand can be promoted without prior regulatory approval. In a formal notice issued to Ufone and the merged Telenor company, the authority asked for all documentation related to the new corporate structure, including approvals obtained under applicable law and other relevant records.
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority Chairman Major General (Retired) Hafeez ur Rehman said the authority had already instructed Pak Telecom Mobile Limited and the proposed merged company to formally notify the regulator as soon as the legal process of the merger was completed. He said prior notification and approval from the authority were legal requirements before the launch of any new brand name, logo, or promotional campaign.
The directive follows earlier reporting that the government had intervened to halt a proposal to rebrand the merged entity under the global “e&” brand, amid concerns over the removal of the word “Pakistan” from the operator’s corporate identity and questions over whether the Ufone board had the authority to approve such a change independently. That earlier episode had prompted a review at senior levels of government, with officials considering a formal Law Division opinion on whether a subsidiary board could approve branding decisions before all legal and regulatory formalities under the merger framework had been completed.
The chairman said the latest directives were meant to ensure full compliance with legal and regulatory requirements across the telecom sector, reinforcing the authority’s position that any commercial launch or marketing campaign tied to a new brand identity must first receive its formal clearance. The move signals that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority intends to maintain close oversight of the branding and corporate structure questions surrounding the merger as the process moves toward completion, keeping the rebranding effort under regulatory scrutiny even as the underlying legal merger continues to advance.
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