The Ufone rebrand to e& is now officially on hold. Pakistan Telecommunication Mobile Limited (PTML), the company that runs Ufone, wants to drop the Ufone name and adopt the global e& brand after its merger with Telenor Pakistan. But regulators have pumped the brakes. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has barred PTML from launching or modifying any brand name following its merger with Telenor Pakistan until all legal and regulatory formalities are completed. And that is just the first hurdle.
Why the Ufone Rebrand to e& Is Stuck Right Now
The story starts with a court order. The directive follows the Islamabad High Court’s June 24 order approving the merger between PTML and Telenor Pakistan, after which PTML initiated the regulatory process for a new corporate identity. PTML moved quickly and applied to the PTA to register the e& name. The regulator said: not so fast.
The PTA has asked for a Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) notification regarding the directors of the merged entity before the brand can be registered, and issued a similar response to a letter from PTML, saying an SECP notification was required before the new brand could be launched or advertised.
The reason is simple. An official of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications explained that since Telenor Pakistan has been merged into PTML, there could be a change in PTML’s directors, and a notification regarding any change, or no change, in the board has to be issued by the SECP. Until that paperwork is done, the rebrand cannot legally move forward.
And it may not stop there. The approval process is not limited to the PTA alone and may involve the federal government at a later stage. Those considerations will only arise after PTML completes the SECP registration process, and until then, it cannot be determined whether the proposed rebranding will proceed.
What Is e& and Why Does PTML Want That Name?
The government holds around a 62 percent stake in PTCL, while 26 percent of shares and management control are held by Abu Dhabi-owned telecom giant Etisalat, which has recently rebranded as e&. The name stands for “Etisalat and” and is the UAE group’s global brand identity, used across its operations in over 30 countries.
The merged mobile business sits within e&’s strategic framework, which is why the group wants the Pakistan entity to carry the same name globally. Bringing Ufone under the e& banner would make the brand consistent from the UAE to Africa to South Asia.
A Big Complication: $800 Million in Unpaid Dues
There is a serious financial cloud over the whole plan. The combined entity is facing scrutiny over nearly $800 million in outstanding regulatory dues. The proposed brand change has also sparked debate over its legal and financial implications, with a senior official from the IT Ministry noting that adopting the e& name could face legal challenges because the merged company would continue to operate as a subsidiary of PTML, which remains a state-owned enterprise.
In other words, putting a UAE commercial brand on a Pakistani state company is not straightforward. The government still owns the majority of PTCL, which owns PTML. Federal approval is therefore not just a formality; it is a real policy decision about who controls the identity of a state-linked telecom operator.
How Big Is the Merged Company?
The merger of PTML and Telenor Pakistan marks one of the largest telecom consolidations in Pakistan’s history. Following the integration, the combined company is expected to retire both the Ufone and Telenor brands and operate under the e& brand, aligning with the UAE-based group’s global branding strategy. The merged entity is projected to serve around 70 million subscribers, making it Pakistan’s second-largest mobile operator.
For context, any rebranding would echo an earlier consolidation in the telecom sector, when the merger of Mobilink and Warid resulted in the launch of the Jazz brand. That transition took well over a year to complete and required its own round of regulatory steps. The e& rebrand is likely to be an equally long process.
What Happens to Governance After the Merger?
One detail that has not got much attention is how the two companies will be run going forward. Under the new arrangement, PTCL and PTML will continue to function with separate boards of directors, chief executives, and management teams, and separate board meetings have already been held to put the governance framework in place.
PTCL Group has also obtained regulatory approval for the integration of Ufone and Telenor’s tower infrastructure, a key part of the post-merger consolidation process. So while the brand question is unresolved, the physical networks are already being combined behind the scenes.
For a broader look at how PTA’s evolving telecom rules affect Pakistani mobile users, see our earlier coverage on the tighter SIM card regulations now in force.
What Does This Mean for Ufone and Telenor Customers?
Right now, nothing changes for subscribers. Your SIM works the same way, your number stays the same, and your plan is unaffected. The rebrand, if and when it is approved, is a name change for the company, not a restructuring of services. That said, once the e& brand rolls out commercially, customers can expect a change in visual identity across shops, apps, and bills, much like Jazz customers saw when Mobilink and Warid combined.
There is one practical thing to watch: mobile phone users in Pakistan may face higher telecom tariffs following the merger, as the merged Ufone-Telenor company has asked the PTA to approve a unified tariff framework. That request is separate from the branding issue but is moving in parallel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ufone going to disappear as a brand?
The combined company is expected to retire both the Ufone and Telenor brands and operate under the e& brand, aligning with the UAE-based group’s global branding strategy, but this will only happen after all regulatory and legal hurdles are cleared.
Do Ufone and Telenor customers need to do anything right now?
No. The PTA has blocked any brand launch until legal formalities are done. The authority has advised the company not to launch the proposed brand or begin any commercial campaign until all statutory requirements have been fulfilled. Customers do not need to take any action at this stage.
Why does the federal government need to get involved?
Sources say the matter may ultimately require federal government approval, particularly because e& has liabilities of around $800 million linked to the Pakistani government. Since PTML is a state-linked enterprise, any major identity change involving a foreign brand carries policy and financial implications that go beyond the PTA’s remit.
What is e& exactly?
The proposed new brand name is e&, aligning with the branding used by the UAE state-owned telecom operator Etisalat. The name is shorthand for “Etisalat and,” reflecting the group’s ambition to be a partner in digital growth across its markets. e& holds a 26 percent stake in PTCL Group and exercises management control.