The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has proposed new rules that could subject telecom operators with Significant Market Power (SMP) to tighter regulatory requirements, including controls on pricing and tariffs.

The proposal is part of amendments to the draft Telecommunication Competition Rules, 2026, prepared by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication to strengthen competition in the telecom sector.

Under the proposed framework, operators designated as having SMP could be required to meet additional obligations covering pricing, tariff transparency and accounting separation.

PTA could also require such operators to provide interconnection and infrastructure access, wholesale services and national roaming. The framework would further address discriminatory or exclusionary practices by operators with significant market power.

To determine whether an operator has SMP, PTA may assess factors including market concentration, spectrum holdings, financial and technical strength, control of essential infrastructure, subscriber access, economies of scale, vertical integration, barriers to entry and network effects.

The proposed rules would also allow an operator with less than 25 percent of relevant-market revenue to be designated as having SMP. Conversely, exceeding the 25 percent threshold would not automatically result in an SMP designation if the wider market assessment does not support it.