Six local entities have registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan to pursue satellite internet services in the country, yet none of them can begin commercial operations until required security and regulatory procedures are completed. The commission shared the details in a report submitted to the Senate Standing Committee in response to a letter from its chairman, Rana Mahmood-ul-Hassan. It said four of the six companies were registered after the establishment of the Pakistan Space Activities Regulatory Board, known as PSARB.
According to the commission, the registered companies are Ether One, Flynautics, Galaxy Space, SpaceP, Starlink, and SpaceSail Pakistan. SpaceP operates as a subsidiary under the National Command Authority, while Starlink and SpaceSail Pakistan have also registered as local entities. The growing number of registrations points to rising interest in a market where terrestrial broadband remains limited in remote and mountainous areas, which is why satellite connectivity is seen as a way to reach users who are hard to serve with fibre or mobile towers.
The commission made clear that company registration does not by itself allow a business to provide satellite internet commercially in Pakistan. A no objection certificate from PSARB is mandatory before a company can proceed, and, apart from SpaceP, none of the registered companies has submitted such a certificate to the regulatory board. The commission told the committee that the process has also been held up because security clearances for the foreign directors and shareholders of Starlink, Galaxy Space, and SpaceSail Pakistan are still pending with the Ministry of Interior. These clearances are required before the companies can move forward with their licensing applications.
Once a company obtains security clearance from the Ministry of Interior and the no objection certificate from PSARB, PTA will issue the necessary licence, the commission said. Satellite internet services will be able to launch only after all regulatory requirements and security protocols have been fulfilled. The sequence means that a company must pass through at least four stages before offering service: company registration, security clearance, board approval, and a telecom licence. Earlier this year PTA also issued a draft licence framework for in-flight satellite services, which shows that regulators are building rules for satellite based connectivity across several use cases.
For consumers and businesses waiting for satellite internet, the report offers a clear picture of where the delays lie, with clearances and approvals rather than company registration being the barrier. No timeline for the decisions was given in the report. Until the Ministry of Interior completes its checks and PSARB issues certificates, services from the named foreign linked companies are unlikely to start, while SpaceP, which has already submitted its certificate, appears to be the furthest along in the process among the six.
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