Starlink's Pakistan launch waits on a licence framework the government has yet to issue

Starlink cannot start service in Pakistan until the government issues a licensing framework for satellite internet and the company clears a list of security checks, and its local director says the delay is costing underserved areas. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority told senators the same week that it had no satellite internet case in front of it.

PTA Chairman Major General (retd) Hafeez Ur Rehman briefed the Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecom on Monday 14 September. He said four to five satellite internet companies had shown interest in operating in Pakistan, and that Starlink first approached the PTA for a licence in February 2022.

The path to a licence

The chairman described a sequence of approvals that must come before the PTA can process a case. A company needs registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, a licence from the country's space regulator, and clearance from the Interior Ministry. Only then does the matter reach the PTA. He added that the space regulator is still developing its regulatory framework, and that this has to be finished before any licence is issued. The PTA also told the committee that low Earth orbit operators must meet regulatory and security requirements before they receive permission.

Starlink's account

Starlink gave its own account on 17 September. Sikander Naqi, the company's Pakistan director, told ProPakistani that the four requirements are SECP registration, finalisation of space regulations, issuance of a fixed satellite services licence and completion of security clearances.

Apart from SECP registration, he said, the remaining requirements are specific to each operator and can be met formally only after the government issues the licensing framework and the space regulations. By Starlink's information, industry consultations are over and the framework is finalised, but it is still working through the government's internal approval process.

Security vetting is the open question

Naqi said the security requirements involve extensive vetting, including clearance for foreign directors, and that they may need clarification if they add a step that slows things further. In his words, the "requirements imposed by security agencies are very stringent".

He argued that the delay holds back connectivity in underserved areas, including schools and hospitals. No application is sitting with the PTA, because the earlier steps are not complete: the regulator points to the space board's unfinished rules and the security approvals, while Starlink says the framework is ready but not yet issued. Starlink has registered locally as Starlink Internet Services (Private) Limited.