PTML challenges PTA order that directs the mobile operator to halt commercial operations of its ONIC digital service, saying ONIC is its own brand and not a separate operator, according to reports.
Pakistan Telecom Mobile Limited (PTML) is a licensed mobile network operator and owns the ONIC brand. ONIC is an app-based digital telecom service that PTML planned to launch in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad.
What the PTA ordered on ONIC
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) ruled that ONIC falls under the MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) framework and cannot continue in its current form without authorisation. It ordered PTML to stop new sales, activations, SIM and eSIM issuance, subscriptions and marketing for ONIC.
PTML has three months to migrate existing ONIC subscribers to PTML, and it must submit a compliance report within seven working days of receiving the order. It must either restructure ONIC as a PTML product within its existing licence or obtain an MVNO licence.
Why PTML challenges PTA order
PTML argues that ONIC is simply its own digital brand rather than an independent operator or MVNO. It describes its arrangement with DTMS, which handles marketing, customer acquisition, KYC, SIM logistics, sales and customer service, as an outsourcing and managed-services deal. Under that agreement, DTMS reportedly receives 55 percent of relevant revenue in the first three years.
According to PTML, subscribers, numbering, spectrum and regulatory responsibility remain with the operator. It has now challenged the PTA decision in court. The report did not name the forum or give the date of the PTA order.
The dispute has a history. PTML notified the PTA of its ONIC plan in June 2023, and the regulator told it in August 2023 not to launch until it provided full information. In February 2026, the Islamabad High Court converted PTML’s petition into a representation and sent the matter back to the PTA for a reasoned decision.
Source: Business Recorder
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