STARLINK has yet to comply with the licensing requirements as well as technical and regulatory concerns raised by the stakeholders for the commercial launch of services in Pakistan.
Official documents available with Raised by Numbers stated that STARLINK and other Satellite Broadband companies/LEO Satellite operators are making significant strives to start operations in Pakistan. However, none has complied with the licensing requirements for the commercial launch of services yet.
Only STARLINK has applied for the LDI license in Pakistan at this stage. Although Starlink has garnered significant attention, there are other international Satellite broadband companies (LEO/MEO Operators) that have also expressed interest in operating in Pakistan. They may offer different technologies to cater to various customer needs, subject to compliance with technical, regulatory and security aspects.
Any company /Telecom service provider intending to operate in Pakistan is mandated to obtain requisite registration, licensing, and permissions from concerned regulatory bodies of Pakistan e.g. PTA, FAB etc. They ensure to abide by the laws of the land as well.
STARLINK was registered with SECP in Dec. 2021 as “Starlink Internet Services Pakistan (Private) Ltd”. Subsequently they applied for an LDI license to PTA on 24 Feb 2022 for broadband services. In parallel, they are also in commercial negotiations with local companies/ service providers to start commercial operations.
As a part of the procedure, MOIT&T sought comments from concerned stakeholders for tech and commercial viability. FAB, SPD, SUPARCO/ Pakistan and other national agencies analyzed the matter in detail and put forward several observations about Technical, Regulatory, Financial, and commercial aspects associated with STARLINK in particular and any LEO/NGSO Satellite constellation in general.
The concerns were taken up with STARLINK, however, they were not willing to comply with the technical and regulatory concerns raised by the Stakeholders. The process therefore took time as it was the first case of a license application for NGSO application in Pakistan and since there were grave concerns that NGSO causing interference with GSO, however time taken and envisaged concerns are typical and equally applicable in other countries globally as well.
Additionally, there was no clear registration/regulatory mechanism in place, since the National Space Policy was undergoing an approval process.
The National Space Policy (NSP) of Pakistan was approved by the Government of Pakistan in Dec 2023, followed by Pakistan Space Activity Rules (PSARB) in Feb 2024 which are being followed by STARLINK for necessary registration/ approvals in Pakistan and the same is equally applicable to any other NGSO/LEO operators who intend to start operations in Pakistan.
