The merger deal between telecom companies Telenor and Ufone is in its final stages, with authorities expecting the deal to be completed within the next one to two weeks. Officials from the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) informed the Senate Standing Committee on IT & Telecom that the merger case had been under review for 18 months.

While the review process was lengthy, the authorities acknowledged that the finalization was delayed due to the need for additional documents from PTCL, which were later provided. Senator Kamran Murtaza raised concerns about how an 18-month review could be concluded in just a matter of weeks, questioning the speed of the process.

The merger between Telenor and Ufone is set to conclude soon, but doubts linger regarding the swift resolution of a case that has taken over a year and a half to process.

In a separate discussion, Senator Affanullah inquired about the government’s progress on the 5G spectrum auction, which the Minister of IT had previously indicated would be completed by December. PTA Chairman confirmed that preparations for the 5G auction were on track but acknowledged that some ongoing legal cases might cause delays. Senator Affanullah recommended that the Attorney General’s office be engaged to expedite the resolution of these legal issues.

PTA officials confirmed that there were no stay orders on the 2600 MHz spectrum, but legal challenges could still affect the timeline for the auction.