The Etisalat rebrand that the telecom world did not fully expect is now official. On October 6, 2026, UAE telecom giant e& filed a notice with the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) confirming it is dropping the ‘e&’ name and returning to its original Etisalat identity. The group is reverting to its original Etisalat brand identity, with the change coinciding with the Abu Dhabi-based company’s 50th anniversary. For Pakistan’s telecom sector, the timing could not be more interesting.
From Etisalat to e& and Back Again
The return to Etisalat comes four years after the group changed its identity to e& in February 2022 as part of a broader transformation from a traditional telecommunications operator into a global technology and investment conglomerate. The short-lived rebrand surprised many in the industry at the time.
The company confirmed the move in a disclosure to the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, saying ‘etisalat’ is the name it is taking forward as it enters its next phase, with the group saying the name reflects its heritage, strategy and ambitions for the artificial intelligence era.
The change is part of an updated strategy built around four main business areas: telecommunications, AI and enterprise solutions, digital infrastructure and fintech. Notably, e& Capital, the group’s investment arm that was central to the original e& identity, is no longer listed as a core pillar.
A leadership change also preceded this shift: Hatem Dowidar stepped down as Group CEO on 31 March 2026, with Masood M. Sharif Mahmood taking over on 1 April 2026. New leadership often brings new (or in this case, older) branding priorities.
As part of its new strategy, Etisalat said it will boost international connectivity capacity to more than 500 Tbps by 2030, an increase of 25x on current capacity. That is a significant infrastructure bet tied closely to AI growth across its 38-country footprint.
What the Etisalat Rebrand Means for Pakistan
This is where the story gets very local, and very complicated. Back in early 2026, e&’s subsidiary in Pakistan completed the acquisition of Telenor Pakistan following regulatory approvals, with the transaction valued at PKR 108 billion ($381 million) on a cash-and-debt-free basis.
On 19 March 2026, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority gave technical approval for the merger between Ufone and Telenor Pakistan, allowing both companies to begin integration of systems and spectrum. On 1 July 2026, the Islamabad High Court approved the merger between Telenor Pakistan and Pak Telecommunication Mobile Limited (Ufone).
The merged entity, known as PTML, then tried to rebrand itself as ‘e&’ to align with its UAE parent. That plan hit a wall. While the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority approved the proposed ‘e&’ brand name in principle in June, the regulator instructed the company to notify it once the merger was legally completed and before launching any commercial marketing campaign. A subsequent letter issued in July reiterated that the branding could only proceed after the amalgamation had taken legal effect.
Government officials also raised concerns about potential copyright violations and royalty fees tied to adopting an international brand for a state-owned enterprise subsidiary. As a result, PTML currently cannot launch or advertise the ‘e&’ brand in Pakistan.
Now that the parent company itself has abandoned ‘e&’ entirely, PTML’s rebrand application is effectively obsolete. The real question now is whether Pakistan’s merged Ufone-Telenor operator will follow the parent group and adopt the Etisalat name instead. No official announcement has been made on this yet, but the parent’s move sets the direction clearly.
Pakistan’s Telecom Landscape After the Merger
The Ufone-Telenor merger created one of Pakistan’s largest telecom entities. Ufone has a subscriber base of 31 million as of August 2026, among which 22 million are 4G/LTE subscribers, with a market share of 13%. When you add Telenor Pakistan’s former base, the combined operator becomes a meaningful challenger to market leader Jazz.
As of August 2026, Jazz has 76 million subscribers in Pakistan, among which 59 million are 4G subscribers, giving it the highest market share of all mobile network operators at 36%. The merged PTML entity will need a clear brand identity to compete effectively against that scale.
For Pakistani consumers, the brand name matters less than what comes next: better coverage, faster data speeds, and fair pricing. The in-market consolidation was intended to allow leveraging of the combined entities’ capabilities to scale up coverage and improve the quality of services. Whether the operator ends up called e&, Etisalat, or something else entirely, those operational promises still need to be delivered.
It is also worth noting that Pakistan’s 5G rollout is now underway. Pakistan allocated 5G spectrum to three telecom operators through an auction in March 2026. The merged PTML entity will need strong branding and clear regulatory standing to compete for 5G market share. A prolonged brand uncertainty is not ideal at this moment.
You can follow Pakistan’s telecom regulatory developments through the official Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) website, and the parent group’s investor filings via the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX).
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did e& go back to the Etisalat name?
UAE telecommunications giant e& is returning to its original Etisalat name, reversing the group-level rebrand introduced in 2022 as it marks five decades of operations and enters what it describes as a new era shaped by artificial intelligence. New leadership and a narrowed business strategy also played a role.
Does this change affect Ufone or PTML in Pakistan?
Yes, indirectly. PTML, the merged Ufone-Telenor entity, had applied to rebrand as ‘e&’ but was blocked by the PTA over governance and copyright concerns. Since the parent has now dropped ‘e&’ entirely, PTML’s original rebrand plan is outdated. A rebrand to ‘Etisalat’ in Pakistan now seems more likely, though no official announcement has been made.
What is PTML and who owns it?
PTML (Pak Telecommunication Mobile Limited) is the company behind the Ufone mobile network. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), which became part of Etisalat by e& in 2006 following PTCL’s privatisation. The recent Telenor Pakistan acquisition was funded through PTCL’s debt.
When did e& buy Telenor Pakistan?
PTCL completed its acquisition of Telenor Pakistan and Orion Towers (Private) Limited on 31 December 2025. The Islamabad High Court then approved the full legal merger between Telenor Pakistan and Ufone (PTML) in July 2026.
