Telecom companies could face greater scrutiny over their pricing under a proposed PTA framework that would allow the regulator to regularly reassess telecom markets.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has proposed the mechanism as part of its comments on the draft Telecommunication Competition Rules, 2026, prepared by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication.

The proposed rules would allow PTA to review relevant telecom markets from time to time and change their definitions when market conditions or industry trends change.

This could give the regulator more flexibility to assess competition in markets where telecom services, technologies or pricing patterns have changed.

Under the draft rules, a relevant telecom market could cover a particular product, service or geographic area used by PTA to evaluate competitive conditions.

The authority would consider several factors when assessing a market. These include whether customers can switch to alternative services, whether suppliers can provide substitutes, pricing behavior, technological developments and the geographic areas where companies compete.

PTA could also take into account barriers that may prevent new companies from entering or expanding in a market. Network effects and access conditions would also be relevant to the assessment.

As a result, changes in telecom package pricing could form part of the broader competitive assessment when PTA reviews a relevant market.

The proposed framework is intended to strengthen competition in the telecom sector, discourage anti-competitive conduct and protect consumers.

However, the proposal does not mean PTA would directly set telecom package prices. Instead, it would provide the regulator with a mechanism to reassess market definitions and competitive conditions as the industry changes.