Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited President and Chief Executive Officer Hatim Bamatraf has confirmed that the Telenor brand will be formally dissolved following the completion of full operational integration between Ufone and Telenor Pakistan, marking the end of a brand that has been present in Pakistan’s telecommunications market for over two decades. The announcement comes as PTCL advances through the final stages of what has been one of the most consequential consolidations in Pakistan’s telecom history, a merger that will bring together approximately 73 million customers under a single unified entity operating under the Ufone banner.
The merger will first go through full operational integration, after which Telenor will be formally dissolved, a process that is expected to take several months, marking the final stage of the merger after which Telenor will cease to exist as a separate entity, with the decision on the brand name to be taken after required regulatory approvals. The confirmation of dissolution represents a strategic choice by PTCL to consolidate its consumer-facing identity around the Ufone brand rather than pursue a rebrand or a hybrid approach, simplifying the go-to-market positioning of the merged entity while leveraging Ufone’s existing brand equity and customer relationships across Pakistan’s urban and southern markets. Pakistan Telecommunication Authority granted technical approval for the proposed amalgamation on March 19, 2026, subject to the submission of an unconditional acceptance of the regulator’s conditions within 15 days, with the next phase involving legal formalities including filing an application for amalgamation in the Islamabad High Court.
The merged entity currently operates about 26,000 towers, many of which are located close to each other, allowing consolidation to lower operating costs, while regulators have imposed conditions including that towers shared with other operators such as Jazz and Zong cannot be shut down without approval, and that franchise holders must receive at least six months notice before any contract termination. Existing Telenor SIM cards will continue to function on the Ufone network after the merger, ensuring service continuity for customers during the transition, with the total number of mobile subscribers for the merged company expected to stand at around 72.45 million, though analysts expect that figure to drop by approximately 10 percent as many subscribers hold SIM cards from both companies and may shift to rival networks following consolidation.
The combined entity will position itself as a significant challenger to Jazz, which currently holds the largest subscriber base in Pakistan, and to Zong, which has been the most aggressive investor in 5G infrastructure, with the merged company’s strengthened spectrum portfolio and improved balance sheet expected to accelerate its own 5G rollout ambitions across the country.
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