
With Starlink's licensing fate in Pakistan hanging in balance, awaiting approval from the interior ministry and an apology for allegedly defaming the country, it emerged on Thursday that the satellite internet provider sought the establishment of 2-3 ground stations ahead of its registration.
Part of this essential step was formed by Elon Musk's satellite internet company registering with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) as “Starlink Internet Services (Private) Limited.”
Besides registration, Starlink has applied to set up 2-3 ground stations in the country ahead of the planned rollout of services through its low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, as disclosed by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) while responding to the Senate Standing Committee on IT.
The Musk-owned firm on February 24, 2022, applied for a Long-Distance International (LDI) license, followed by 14 Local Loop license requests on April 29, 2022, as reported by ProPakistani.
Citing PTA, the publication also noted that the case was conveyed to the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication in March 2022 to decide on the licensing grant to Starlink after consulting all stakeholders involved.
While satellite-driven telecom services nationwide are regulated by the National Satellite Policy 2023 and the Pakistan Space Activities Rules 2024, the Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) confirmed that Starlink's satellite constellation is deployed and used globally without meddling with countries' terrestrial networks and or causing them any potential harm.