Major global satellite operators, including Starlink, Amazon Kuiper, OneWeb, Shanghai Spacecom and Galaxy Space, are waiting for regulatory approval to begin operations in Pakistan as the country faces mounting challenges in expanding high-speed connectivity, The News reported, citing officials.
The delay has affected multiple sectors, including information technology, maritime services and disaster-response systems, at a time when the government is pushing digitalisation and considering a “cashless city” model for Islamabad.
Despite official claims that 76% of the population is connected to the internet, users in suburban and peri-urban belts continue to face weak coverage, network congestion and unreliable data services.
Pakistan currently has 1.2 million copper-based broadband subscribers, 3 million fibre-to-the-home users and 5 million cable or broadcast ISP customers. Copper lines struggle to deliver more than 8 Mbps, while fibre deployment remains uneven and largely confined to select neighbourhoods in major cities. Even Tier-A cities such as Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Faisalabad experience patchy coverage, with far wider gaps in smaller urban centres.
Core network limits are tightening as well. Pakistan depends on a small number of international submarine cables, and five Karachi-to-Peshawar long-haul terrestrial links are nearing end-of-life. Metro networks inside cities are also heavily congested, slowing operators’ efforts to upgrade infrastructure.
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations already provide broadband in more than 70 countries, particularly in remote areas, but have been unable to enter the Pakistani market due to the absence of finalised rules and permissions from the Pakistan Space Activities Regulatory Board (PSARB). Industry representatives confirmed they cannot proceed without formal clearance.
Telecom companies cite Right-of-Way delays as the largest barrier to nationwide expansion, with approval processes split across municipal bodies, housing societies, provincial departments and cantonment authorities. Peer economies have adopted standardised, low-cost RoW rules, but Pakistani operators continue to face inconsistent charges and slow procedures.
In major cities, overhead cabling along key arteries reflects a lack of unified fibre-management planning. Mobile networks, which carry most digital-payment traffic, also operate on one of the region’s lowest spectrum allocations. Operators say limited spectrum has constrained 4G expansion and stalled 5G trials, while neighbouring markets have already auctioned mid-band frequencies.
Officials say the bottleneck now lies with the PSARB, which must finalise pending space rules, outline a clear timeline for landing-rights approvals and establish a transparent framework for satellite operators. The board, dominated by Suparco representatives, currently has no private-sector members.
Officials said that once PSARB completes its technical assessments and issues landing rights, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority will process service permissions for operators seeking to enter the local market.
