Telenor Pakistan signed to renew a 15-year licence issued by the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) under protest after paying the final installment of a disputed fee, as it appeals a court decision which rejected its claim, The Nation reported.
The Islamabad High Court in September dismissed petitions filed by Telenor and rival Jazz against the PTA for sharply raising the renewal fee, after which the operators took the case to the Supreme Court.
Telenor signed the renewal document to offer some certainty in its operations while it waits for the outcome of the legal challenge, The Nation wrote.
In September 2019, both operators paid the government about half of the controversial mobile licence renewal fee of nearly US$450 million, as part of a goodwill payment to avoid service disruption.
The PTA maintains the renewal fee is in line with the price of spectrum sold in recent auctions.
Telenor ended September with 48.9 million mobile subscribers and Jazz 71.4 million, GSMA Intelligence data showed.
