The federal government has revised the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, making the consent of property owners compulsory before any telecom infrastructure can be installed on private land.

The changes were announced after lawmakers raised objections to an earlier version of the bill, which stated that a property owner’s failure to respond to two official notices would be treated as consent for telecom installations.

Following the criticism, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed that the legislation be reviewed before proceeding further in Parliament.

Under the revised draft, telecom companies will be required to obtain permission before laying underground or overhead cables or installing telecom equipment on private property, including residential, commercial, agricultural and vacant land.

The government has also revised provisions relating to right-of-way and telecom infrastructure to remove ambiguities that had sparked concerns. Any dispute resolution mechanism will apply only when both parties have voluntarily entered into a contractual agreement.

The amendments are intended to update Pakistan’s telecommunications framework to support the rollout of 5G services and expand broadband infrastructure, while ensuring constitutional protections for private property remain intact.

The revised bill will now be examined by the Senate Standing Committee before being considered by Parliament for final approval.