Elon Musk’s Starlink registered with SECP, confirms state minister
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A representational image showing Starlink logo at the company's stall during an exhibition. — AFP/File
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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 at various technical aspects and we have had discussions. [about this] To Starlink,” he said.
Additionally, the IT minister said, a regulatory regime is being worked out so that all Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite companies, including Starlink, are “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 these remarks while replying to the messages of a Pakistani social media activist on social media platform X.
Meanwhile, officials – speaking to Geo.tv today – said international consultants were in place to work on “a regulatory framework for non-jurisdictional and non-stationary low-Earth orbits”.
“These satellites can interfere with local frequencies so a comprehensive policy covering all aspects is being developed,” he said.
“We are developing a comprehensive regulatory system for such issues. No other country in the LEO satellite region has one yet,” the officials added.
The country has been plagued by a ban on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) since last year, as well as slow internet, with the government constantly blaming submarine cable failures, while reports of a “firewall” by authorities. indicates the possible experience of
According to the list released by Okla Speedtest Global Index, Pakistan ranks 100 out of 111 countries in mobile internet speed with a download speed of 20.61Mbps and an upload speed of 8.53Mbps.
Meanwhile, the index ranked the country 141 out of 158 countries in broadband speed with a download speed of 15.60Mbps and an upload speed of 15.53Mbps.
This matter was discussed several times in both houses of the Parliament but to no avail. As a result of this disruption, the country’s IT industry also suffered financial losses.
New undersea cable for Pakistan
However, in a positive development last month, it was revealed that a major undersea internet cable is being laid, which is expected to significantly increase internet speed and reliability.
The project falls under the 2Africa Submarine Cable System, facilitated by PTA through Trans World Associate (TWA) as the landing party for the cable in Pakistan.
The 2Africa cable, spanning 45,000 km, uses the latest SDM1 technology with a capacity of 180Tbps, connecting 46 locations in Africa, Europe and the Middle East.
The cable is expected to go live in Pakistan by Q4 2025, with the support of a global consortium that includes Meta and Vodafone, PTA announced in a press release.
Installation began on 1 December 2024, as the first phase of work, the pre-lease end (PLSE) installation included cable landing at Hawksbay, Karachi. The second phase of deep-sea cable laying is planned to start on April 1, 2025.
Once operational, the cable will provide 24 terabytes of bandwidth to Pakistan. Geo News reported that a French company is involved in installing the 45,000 km long cable.
Better bandwidth will also improve the performance of platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram.
Currently, Pakistan relies on about 8 terabytes of bandwidth provided by seven existing cables. The new system connecting the African region to Pakistan aims to improve connectivity and address longstanding complaints of slow internet speeds.
