ISLAMABAD: Major global satellite operators are awaiting clear regulations and formal permission to launch their operation in Pakistan.
International satellite operators, including Starlink, Amazon Kuiper, OneWeb, Shanghai Spacecom and Galaxy Space, are keen to provide advanced broadband and communication services in Pakistan, but they require permission from the Pakistan Space Activities Regulatory Board (PSARB) to go ahead with their services.
Top official sources confirmed to The News on Sunday that Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations — like SpaceX Starlink, OneWeb, Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology, Amazon Kuiper and Galaxy Space — are providing high-speed connectivity in more than 70 countries, especially in remote and underserved regions.
In Pakistan, these operators have been waiting for regulatory clearance for the last couple of years. Representatives of major satellite providers say they cannot comment publicly but confirm they are awaiting government approvals.
The delay affects connectivity in different industries, including information technology, maritime operations and disaster recovery capabilities.
As Islamabad explores becoming a cashless city and the government promotes a digital-first economy, the gaps in infrastructure raise critical challenges.
Official circles claim that 76% of Pakistan is connected to the internet. However, field data and user experience paint a very different picture, particularly in the suburban and peri-urban belt surroundings of different cities, including in Islamabad. Suburbs such as Bara Kahu, Tarnol, Chak Shahzad, regularly experience bad internet coverage, unstable 3G/4G coverage and congested networks.
The country currently has 1.2 million copper-based broadband users, 3 million fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) users and 5 million cable/broadcast ISP users but copper lines typically max out near 8 Mbps, with speeds dropping sharply on longer last-mile loops.
Fiber offers high throughput, but penetration remains limited and largely concentrated in a handful of upscale neighborhoods in major cities. Even in largest Tier-A cities — including Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad — coverage remains inconsistent. In Tier B, C, and D cities, the digital divide widens dramatically.
Pakistan’s connectivity challenge is not limited to last-mile access. The country’s core infrastructure is reaching its limits. Pakistan relies on limited number of international submarine cable systems for global connectivity.
Industry insiders confirm that the five long-haul terrestrial links from Karachi to Peshawar are nearing end-of-life.
Metro networks, which distribute capacity across cities, are also heavily congested, preventing operators from modernizing or expanding rapidly. Telecom operators consistently identify Right-of-Way (RoW) delays as the biggest structural obstacle to nationwide broadband expansion.
Operators face prolonged approval cycles and inconsistent charges from housing societies, municipal bodies, provincial departments and cantonments.
Meanwhile, peer economies have taken the opposite route as India adopted standardized national RoW rules in 2016. Turkey mandates open-access municipal conduits. UAE enforces unified duct-sharing policies. South Korea subsidizes fiber trenching nationwide.
In Pakistan, expensive and unpredictable RoW processes continue to slow down fiber rollout across major cities. The condition of existing infrastructure also raises safety and reliability concerns.
In Karachi, overhead cabling along major arteries such as Shahrah-e-Faisal and Korangi Industrial Area highlights the absence of a coherent fiber management plan. The situation can be seen in other tier-1 cities as well.
Global cities have addressed this years ago. Tokyo, Osaka, New York, and Singapore have moved most of their telecom networks underground, enforcing strict municipal control and centralized duct systems. Pakistan’s mobile networks — responsible for the majority of digital payments — are operating with one of the lowest spectrum allocations in the region.
Operators say they cannot expand 4G capacity because they lack sufficient spectrum, and 5G trials cannot proceed without foundational reforms. Countries such as Vietnam, India, and Bangladesh have already auctioned significant mid-band spectrum for 4G and 5G services. Pakistani networks, however, are congested and approaching saturation.
Keeping in view this overall situation, there are no other options but the PSARB. Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will have to take up these matters at the earliest, share the estimated timeline for the completion and issuance of pending Space Rules, and ensure a transparent and level regulatory environment for all satellite operators in Pakistan.
In the PSARB board, there are three members from Suparco. Paksat is a 100% subsidiary of Suparco, and there is no private sector representative in it.
This reporter sent out a question to the secretary information technology a few days ago but got no reply. The viewpoint of the PTA was also sought.
An official told this reporter in the background discussion that space policy was the PSARB’s domain to issue landing rights for the interested parties after analyzing all technical aspects and then the PTA would come into the loop to allow the interested parties to launch their services in Pakistan.
