Cellular provider Ufone's rebrand awaits govt nod

Ufone's planned rebrand to the e& name is still waiting for government clearance, Dawn reported, after the Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecom heard on Monday. PTA Chairman retired Maj Gen Hafeezur Rehman told lawmakers that the Privatisation Commission has halted the regulator from approving the change, and that only the governments of Pakistan and the UAE can authorise it. The matter sits with those two administrations alone.

The brand change was sought by Ufone's management so that it would match e&, the UAE telecom group formerly known as Etisalat, after PTCL bought Telenor Pakistan. IT Secretary Zarar Hasham Khan said the request from Pakistan Telecommunication Mobile Limited was still under discussion, as the CCP and the PTA hold differing views. Any name change, he added, must follow the applicable rules and secure federal approvals first.

On service quality, the PTA chairman linked patchy coverage in large cities to the Ufone-Telenor combination and the 5G rollout, saying the problems should be resolved by next month. Separately, the committee expressed concern over Pak Datacom's decision to move satellite links from PakSat to UAE-based Yahsat, citing possible national security implications. Starlink licensing was deferred after the PTA said no application was pending, and the matter needs clearance from other government departments.