Chairman tells Senate committee satellite internet is critical for motorways and remote regions; licensing framework sent to IT Ministry

Pakistan’s telecom regulator has called for the licensing of satellite internet operators, including Starlink, OneWeb and Amazon, to improve connectivity in remote regions and along the country’s motorway network, where conventional mobile coverage remains inadequate.

Briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat, PTA Chairman said expanding satellite broadband had become a necessity to address persistent internet connectivity issues in underserved and far-flung areas.

He pointed to Nepal as a successful example, saying the country had already licensed satellite internet services to improve nationwide connectivity, and suggested Pakistan should adopt a similar approach.

The PTA chairman said the authority had completed its technical and regulatory groundwork on satellite internet and submitted its recommendations to the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication for further action.

He said global satellite internet providers, including Starlink, OneWeb and Amazon’s Project Kuiper, should be licensed to operate in Pakistan to help close the country’s digital divide and extend broadband access to areas where terrestrial telecom infrastructure remains commercially unviable.

The chairman clarified that satellite internet providers must first obtain registration from the Space Activities Regulatory Board, after which the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority would issue the necessary operating licences.

The briefing comes as Pakistan seeks to expand broadband access nationwide, with policymakers increasingly viewing low-Earth orbit satellite networks as a key solution for delivering high-speed internet to remote communities, highways and other underserved locations where traditional mobile networks face deployment challenges.