Musk’s Starlink registered with SECP: Shaza Fatima

ISLAMABAD: Elon Musk’s satellite broadband company, Starlink, has been registered with the Security Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja confirmed to Geo.tv on Monday.

“[Following the approval] the space board authority is looking into various technical aspects and we have communicated [about this] to Starlink,” she said.

Furthermore, the IT minister said, a regulatory regime was being worked out so that all low earth orbit (LEO) satellite companies including Starlink “is open to all international companies”.

The development came two days after Musk confirmed that he was awaiting Islamabad’s approval to launch Starlink in Pakistan. He made the remarks while responding to messages on social media platform X by a Pakistani social media activist.

Meanwhile, officials — while speaking to Geo.tv today — said that international consultants were on board to work out a “regulatory framework for non jurisdictional and non stationery low earth orbits”.

“These satellites may interfere in the local frequency so a comprehensive policy is being prepared covering all aspects,” they said. “We are preparing an overall regulatory regime for such issues. LEO satellite no other country in the region has it yet,” the officials added.

They said two Chinese companies are also well known in LEO satellite technology and would be welcome to apply. According to officials, the process may take a few months to mature.

The country has been grappling with slow internet since last year alongside ban on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), with the government consistently blaming submarine cable faults, while reports hint at possible experimentation with a “firewall” by authorities.

According to a list issued by Ookla Speedtest Global Index, Pakistan was ranked 100 out of 111 countries in mobile internet speeds with a download speed of 20.61Mbps and upload speed of 8.53Mbps.

Meanwhile, the index ranked the country at 141 out of 158 countries in broadband speeds with a download speed of 15.60Mbps and upload speed of 15.53Mbps. The matter also came into debate in both houses of parliament multiple times but to no avail. The disruption also resulted in financial losses to the country’s IT industry as well.