The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has finally cleared Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited’s (PTCL) acquisition of rival Telenor Pakistan and Orion Towers, subject to a series of stringent conditions. Telenor Asia head Jon Omund Revhaug had previously urged the CCP to grant approval, warning that further delays could stall Pakistan’s digital economy. This CCP approval is a significant milestone in the process, which will now move forward for approval by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). Should the PTA give its approval, the merged entity - combining PTCL’s Ufone with Telenor Pakistan - would control around 70 million subscribers, making it the second-largest operator behind Jazz with 74 million. China Mobile-owned Zong would rank third with 52 million subscribers.