Red tape delays licences for satellite-based ISPs | The Express Tribune

Satellite-based internet service providers have expressed serious concern over the bureaucratic hurdles in the way of finalising a licensing regime, which can halt investments of millions of dollars.

Five satellite-based internet service providers (ISPs), including Starlink, have applied for licences to provide broadband services in Pakistan. But they complain that state-owned entities are delaying the process.

Sources in the Pakistan Space Activities Regulatory Board (PSARB) said that five companies, including Starlink and Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology Limited providing satellite-based internet, had expressed interest in entering into the Pakistani market.

Other companies are OneWeb (Eutelsat Group), Project Kuiper of the Amazon Group and Canadian satellite firm Telesat, which are willing to invest and have completed groundwork for launching services in Pakistan.

The registration process awaits the go-ahead from PSARB, which has not yet finalised the licensing regime.

A senior PSARB official said that the draft for the registration process for low-earth orbit (LEO) to beam down internet service had not been finalised so far, adding that consultation with stakeholders was underway. The official stressed that more time would be required to finalise regulations for registration.

On the other hand, officials of the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication revealed that the matter primarily pertained to the security clearance of companies and draft regulations had been circulated among the government departments concerned. A senior executive of one of the interested companies said that the registration process at PSARB was the first step while PTA was set to finalise its LEO-based internet policy in the coming weeks, but establishing the administrative and infrastructure network would take time.