Satellite firms warn license delays risk investment
Satellite-based internet service providers have raised serious concerns over bureaucratic hurdles in finalizing the licensing regime, warning that delays could stall multimillion-dollar investments in Pakistan.
The five satellite-based internet service providers, including Starlin, had applied for licenses to provide internet services in Pakistan. But they have expressed concerns now that concerned state owned entities were delaying the process of issuing licenses.
Sources in Pakistan Space Activities Regulatory Board (PSARB) said five companies, apart from Starlink and the Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology Limited (SSST), providing satellite-based internet have expressed interest in entering the Pakistani market.Starlink To Launch Satellite Communication Service in Pakistan
The other companies are OneWeb (Eutelsat Group), Project Kuiper of the Amazon Group, and the Canadian Satellite Company Telesat have expressed willingness and completed their groundwork to launch service in Pakistan.
The registration process was pending at the PSARB, as the Board has yet to finalise the licensing regime.
Senior official of the PSARB said that the draft for the registration process of low earth satellites (LEO) to beam down internet service has yet to be finalised, adding that the consultation process with stakeholders was underway.
The official added that more time would be required to finalise the regulations for registration.
On the other hand, the officials in the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication have expressed that the matter was primarily related to the security clearance of the companies, and the draft regulation has been circulated among concerned government departments.
Similarly, the Minister for IT & telecom, Shaza Fatima, had earlier claimed that satellite internet services would commence by November or December this year, but did not respond to the query related to delays in the registration process.
On the other hand, a senior executive of one of the aspirant companies said that the registration process at PSARB was the first step, while the PTA is set to finalise its LEO-based internet policy in the coming weeks – but establishing the administrative and infrastructure network also takes time.