Govt Launches Major NTC Rightsizing Drive to Overhaul State Telecom Operations

The federal government has initiated a sweeping rightsizing and restructuring plan for the National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC), marking one of the most significant overhauls in the state-run telecom body’s recent history. Official documents indicate that the reform process is being aligned with the State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Act, paving the way for major organizational, administrative, and regulatory changes.

Government Begins Deep Structural Review

According to official sources, a government-appointed consultant has begun evaluating NTC’s existing structure, reviewing everything from workforce distribution to operational workflows. The consultant is expected to submit a comprehensive report outlining the scale, scope, and roadmap of the rightsizing process.

Following the recent amendments to the NTC Act, several key changes are already underway:

• Reconstitution of the NTC Management Board in line with the SOE Act

• Revision of internal policies and employee regulations

• Modernisation of operational and administrative practices, many of which have not been updated in years

Officials say the reforms are aimed at bringing NTC’s governance closer to modern SOE standards and improving its national service footprint.

MD Ali Farhan: “NTC Workforce Will Be Reorganized for Efficiency”

NTC Managing Director Major General (R) Ali Farhan confirmed that the corporation is closely collaborating with the consultant to design a leaner and more agile organizational model.

NTC’s current workforce will be reorganized into a more efficient and credible structure. We will expand NTC’s service footprint across all four provinces. Redistribution of human resources can significantly improve performance and operational efficiency.

The MD emphasized that the restructuring aims to strengthen NTC’s ability to serve government institutions nationwide while building capacity for next-generation digital services.

Workforce Optimization to Play a Key Role

Internal documents show that NTC currently operates under a Managing Director with CTO, COO, and CFO divisions supervising IT, regional operations, finance, HR, and various technical units.

The organization’s sanctioned employee strength stands at 2,479, while its active working strength is 1,821 + 600, spread across multiple technical and administrative roles.

Officials familiar with the matter say the rightsizing will focus on:

• Eliminating redundancies

• Improving skills distribution across regions

• Reducing operational costs

• Upgrading performance benchmarks

Sources also indicate that some roles may be restructured or merged to streamline workflows, though no decisions on layoffs have been formally discussed at this stage.

What This Means for NTC’s Future

With Pakistan’s government pushing for efficiency across all SOEs, NTC’s restructuring is expected to play a critical role in modernizing state communications infrastructure. The corporation is also expanding its secure communication services for federal and provincial departments, making operational efficiency more crucial than ever.

However, experts warn that the success of the NTC rightsizing effort depends on whether the reforms go beyond cosmetic adjustments. Transparency in decision-making, the appointment of technically competent professionals, and merit-based staffing will be essential to ensure real transformation. Without clear performance benchmarks, digital-era skillsets, and accountability at every tier, the restructuring risks becoming a paperwork exercise rather than a strategic overhaul. Analysts argue that only a genuinely capability-driven model, not just a trimmed-down workforce, will enable NTC to modernize its services and meet the communication needs of federal and provincial institutions.