PC restrains PTA from granting approval

ISLAMABAD: The Privatisation Commission (PC) has stopped the Pakistan Telecommunica-tion Authority (PTA) from approving the proposed rebranding of Ufone as “e&”, saying the matter is a reserved issue between the governments concerned and can only be approved by the governments of Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.

PTA Chairman, responding to media questions, revealed that the commission had directed the regulator not to proceed with approval of the proposed change in Ufone’s brand name following the merger of Ufone and Telenor Pakistan.

The chairman said the matter involved commitments between the two governments and, therefore, could not be decided solely at the regulatory level.

The development comes as the government has yet to take a final decision on the proposed rebranding of Ufone as “e&”, with consultations among relevant authorities still underway.

Briefing the Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecom, the Secretary IT and Telecom said Pakistan Telecommuni-cation Mobile Limited (PTML) had approached PTA seeking permission to change Ufone’s brand name to e&. The committee also raised the reported change of Ufone’s name following the Ufone-Telenor merger.

He said the matter was currently under consultation, with different views emerging from the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) and PTA regarding the proposed change.

“The consultation process regarding changing Ufone’s brand name is continuing,” the secretary said, adding that the government was examining the issue from different aspects. He clarified that no final decision had so far been taken on replacing the established Ufone brand with e&.

The committee was informed that any change of name would be made in accordance with applicable rules and regulations and after obtaining the necessary approvals from the federal government. The committee was further informed that consultations among the relevant stakeholders were currently underway. The committee discussed the proposed rebranding in the context of the merger of Ufone and Telenor Pakistan and sought clarity on the regulatory process involved in changing the established Ufone brand.

The Secretary IT said the matter remained under consideration and further consultations would be held before a final decision was reached.—TAHIR AMIN