The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has proposed removing the one-year deadline for reviewing telecom merger and transaction approvals, potentially allowing the regulator to revisit such decisions whenever circumstances require.

The proposal has been included in PTA’s comments on the draft Telecommunication Competition Rules, 2026, prepared by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication.

Under the ministry’s draft rules, PTA can review, revise, amend or withdraw a determination or approval within one year of its issuance. The authority has proposed replacing this time limit with wording that would allow it to reconsider a decision “as and when required.”

The proposed change would effectively remove the one-year restriction on reviewing telecom transactions.

PTA said this would allow it to reconsider previous approvals if market conditions change, new regulatory concerns emerge, or important facts or information become available after the original decision.

The draft rules apply to a range of telecom transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, amalgamations, joint ventures, changes in control, spectrum consolidation and corporate restructuring.

These transactions would be subject to review where they could have a significant impact on competition, market concentration, access to infrastructure, consumer welfare or the continuity of telecom services.

After reviewing a transaction, PTA could issue a no-objection certificate, attach specific conditions, require behavioral or operational safeguards, or refer the matter to another competent authority where necessary.

If the proposed amendment is included in the final rules, PTA would no longer be restricted to a one-year window for reconsidering telecom transaction approvals.