Engro Connect has finalized a historic $560 million acquisition of all 10,500 telecom towers owned by Jazz, marking Pakistan’s first-ever sale of an entire tower infrastructure by a telecom operator. The deal received clearance from regulatory authorities, including the Competition Commission of Pakistan, and overcame legal hurdles in the Islamabad High Court.
Post-sale, Jazz—the country’s largest telecom operator—will lease tower space from Engro Connect, a subsidiary of Engro Corporation, enabling Jazz to concentrate on expanding digital services such as fintech, cloud computing, entertainment, and digital health. Engro Connect will manage the extensive tower network.
Pakistan currently has approximately 50,000 telecom towers, many managed by companies like Engro Infra and Advotco. The tower company model, prevalent globally, allows multiple telecom operators to colocate equipment on shared towers, optimizing infrastructure use and reducing costs.
Industry analysts note that while urban tower consolidation is expected, new towers will continue to be installed in underserved areas to broaden network coverage. However, operators like Telenor and Ufone may delay joining due to ongoing merger discussions and regulatory reviews.
Beyond traditional telecom use, these towers increasingly support Pakistan’s optical fiber networks, as many fiber and internet service providers lease space for cable deployment—highlighting the country’s growing digital infrastructure.
