Pakistan Railways cannot use its existing telecommunications license to directly provide commercial internet services like WiFi to passengers, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) told the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication, addressing a connectivity gap the committee had flagged as part of its broader agenda covering issues ranging from Ufone’s rebranding to Starlink’s launch. In a written report submitted to the committee, PTA said Pakistan Railways had been granted a special license under Section 5(2)(a) of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Reorganization) Act, 1996, which allows the department to establish, operate, and maintain a dedicated telecommunications system for noncommercial data and value added services required for its own institutional operations, rather than for public facing commercial services.
PTA clarified that the license is limited strictly to Pakistan Railways’ own internal use and does not permit the department to provide public or commercial telecommunications services of any kind, including passenger facing WiFi. The regulator said this restriction is also consistent with the Telecom Policy 2015, under which purpose specific licenses issued to government, semi-government, and autonomous organizations do not authorize commercial operations, a framework that applies uniformly across similar institutional licenses issued to other public sector bodies. This legal clarification directly addresses one of the connectivity gaps the Senate committee had specifically flagged in its broader agenda, which included concerns over a lack of signals and WiFi network facilities affecting 40 Pakistan Railways trains nationwide.
According to PTA, Pakistan Railways currently provides internet connectivity on only three to five trains through arrangements with cellular mobile operators, a limited footprint that reflects the constraints of operating within its current noncommercial license structure. Internationally, onboard train internet services are generally delivered through terrestrial telecommunications networks, satellite connectivity, or a combination of both, giving railway operators in other countries multiple technical pathways to expand WiFi coverage across their fleets depending on route geography and infrastructure availability. Pakistan Railways’ current reliance on a small number of trains connected through cellular operators suggests the department has so far worked within informal arrangements rather than pursuing a structured, licensed commercial partnership at scale.
PTA said Pakistan Railways could expand WiFi services to more trains by entering into commercial agreements with licensed cellular or satellite operators, under which onboard WiFi networks would connect to cellular or satellite backhaul, allowing the department to expand passenger internet access through a legally permissible arrangement rather than attempting to operate commercial WiFi under its own noncommercial license. This guidance gives Pakistan Railways a clear regulatory pathway forward, though it would require the department to negotiate and finalize formal commercial agreements with telecom operators rather than continuing its current limited, informal approach. Whether Pakistan Railways moves to pursue such agreements at scale will likely depend on budgetary considerations and how quickly the department prioritizes onboard connectivity against its other infrastructure and service delivery needs, particularly given that the Senate committee’s continued interest in the issue suggests parliamentary pressure to resolve the gap is unlikely to fade in the near term.
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