Six satellite internet companies, including Elon Musk’s Starlink, have registered in Pakistan, but none of them can offer services yet. The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) shared the update in a report to a Senate committee on November 7, 2026, confirming that registration alone does not allow any of the firms to sell internet in the country.
What happened?
The SECP told the Senate Standing Committee that six companies — Starlink, SpaceP, Galaxy Space, Aether One, Flanavotics and SpaceCell Pakistan — are registered with the commission. Four of them registered after the Pakistan Space Activities Regulatory Board (PSARB) was set up, and Starlink and SpaceCell Pakistan have also registered as local companies. The report was submitted after a letter from the committee’s chairman, Rana Mahmood-ul-Hassan. The commission was clear that company registration does not authorise commercial satellite internet services.
Key details
- Each company first needs a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the PSARB, the space regulator.
- The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) can then issue a licence, but only after the Ministry of Interior completes security checks on the company’s foreign directors and shareholders.
- So far, only SpaceP has submitted its PSARB NOC.
- Security clearances for Starlink, Galaxy Space and SpaceCell Pakistan are still pending with the Ministry of Interior, leaving them unable to move ahead with licensing.
- Starlink, registered locally as Starlink Internet Services Pakistan (Private) Limited, received provisional PSARB registration in March 2025, but its full registration remains incomplete.
- There is no date yet for when any of the six companies will be allowed to switch on services.
What it means for people in Pakistan
Satellite internet could one day bring connections to mountain valleys, deserts and villages that fibre and mobile networks have never reached. For now, though, consumers and businesses cannot sign up for any satellite service in Pakistan. Access will begin only after the companies clear security vetting, obtain a PSARB NOC and receive a PTA licence.
