Pakistan plans to tighten competition rules for the telecom sector, with a new draft framework allowing the regulator to require dominant operators to provide national roaming access to competitors.
The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication has proposed the Telecommunication Competition Rules, 2026, which would empower the regulator to impose roaming obligations on operators with Significant Market Power (SMP), take action against violations and resolve disputes.
Under the draft, the regulator could require an operator with SMP to provide national roaming where necessary to promote competition, expand network coverage, protect consumers or improve the use of telecom infrastructure.
The proposed obligations would have to be imposed on fair, reasonable, transparent and non-discriminatory terms. The regulator would also determine the technical feasibility, operational scope and duration of roaming arrangements.
The draft would give the regulator enforcement powers, including issuing directions, requiring corrective measures, imposing proportionate regulatory obligations and initiating proceedings under the relevant law. It would also be able to adjudicate disputes arising under the proposed framework.
In resolving disputes, the regulator could consider market efficiency, consumer welfare, proportionality, technical feasibility and the impact on competition.
The proposed rules would establish a sector-specific competition framework for telecommunications while preserving the jurisdiction of the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) under the Competition Act, 2010.
The draft also proposes requiring applicants to pay fees prescribed under Schedule I, replacing the existing reference to “reasonable fees.”
Recent PTA proposals have also suggested a 25 percent market share as an initial trigger for assessing SMP, alongside other factors such as market concentration, spectrum holdings, essential infrastructure, financial strength, network effects and barriers to entry.
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