Prime minister of Malaysia Mahathir bin Mohamad sought reassurance a potential mega-merger between Axiata and Telenor would not lead to job losses in the country, Bloomberg reported.

The deal, which is currently under discussion between the parties, would see Telenor and Axiata’s telecommunications and infrastructure assets across Asia combined into a business in which the Norway-based operator group would hold a majority stake.

Following initial statements by the companies, the Malaysian PM reportedly requested further details on the proposal, centered on the impact on jobs.

The new business would be headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The city is the current location of Axiata Group’s headquarters, while Telenor has its main Asian office in Singapore (it has a presence in Malaysia through its Digi unit).

Any transaction would require a green light by regulators in Malaysia and other relevant authorities.

Telenor CEO Sigve Brekke expects the merger to create significant synergies.

In a previous statement to Bloomberg, Axiata claimed there would be no forced job cuts as a direct result of the deal. There would, however, be a voluntary “separation scheme” made available for employees.

Axiata CEO Jamaludin Ibrahim noted in its Q1 results statement, released earlier this week, that the company had a specific team looking into the logistics of a deal for the next three months. A decision is expected to be made during Q3.

The combined company would be one of Asia’s largest telecoms companies with 60,000 towers and almost 300 million customers.