PTA orders PTML to immediately halt ONIC operations over MVNO non-compliance

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has directed Pak Telecom Mobile Limited (PTML) to immediately end all marketing, commercial activity, new activations, SIM and eSIM issuance and subscription sales for its ONIC service, according to Business Recorder. The regulator ruled that ONIC falls under the Mobile Virtual Network Operator framework and cannot continue without the required authorisation. Existing ONIC customers can be migrated to PTML over three months. Within seven working days, PTML is required to hand the regulator a report confirming the shutdown.

The PTA concluded that although ONIC is registered as a PTML brand and runs on its network and spectrum, the setup extends far past a standard branding deal. A separate entity, DTMS, handles marketing, customer acquisition, KYC checks, SIM logistics and the customer-facing platform, and it takes a 55 percent share of relevant revenue in the opening three years. The regulator also flagged concerns over subscriber data access, lawful interception, disaster recovery and third-party arrangements.

PTML can either reshape ONIC into a plain PTML offering under its current MNO licence, or secure a full MVNO licence to keep the present structure. The order follows a dispute that began in June 2023, when PTML notified the regulator of its launch plans. The ruling carries weight for the young digital telecom segment, where the 2025 policy lowered the starting national licence fee to $140,000, far below the $5 million set in 2012.