Six satellite internet companies have now registered with Pakistan’s Securities and Exchange Commission — but Starlink still has no launch date in the country, and no commercial service has started. Registration, it turns out, is only the first step, and the hard part is still ahead.
The update was reported by Bloom Pakistan on 8 November 2026. The six registered firms are Starlink, Space Cell Pakistan, Aether One, Flanovatics, Galaxy Space and SpaceP. Of the six, only SpaceP has submitted an application for a no-objection certificate from the Pakistan Space Activities Regulatory Board (PSARB).
Registration is not permission to operate
The key point in the report is that SECP registration does not authorise a company to offer commercial satellite internet in Pakistan. Before any firm can operate, it needs three things: security clearance, a PSARB no-objection certificate, and a PTA licence.
Security clearance is where the process is stuck. Clearance for the foreign directors and shareholders of Starlink, Galaxy Space and Space Cell Pakistan is pending with the Ministry of Interior, and it has not come through. Until it does, the rest of the process cannot move.
A long road so far
Starlink registered locally as Starlink Internet Services Pakistan (Private) Limited and holds a provisional PSARB registration from March 2025. The Federal Cabinet approved the Fixed Satellite Services licensing framework in April 2026, which set the rules for satellite operators — including a 15-year licence and an 18-month deadline to roll out service once a licence is issued. Starlink’s own coverage map still lists Pakistan as “pending regulatory approval”.
There is no official Pakistan pricing and no launch date. Any price figures circulating online are not from Starlink and should not be treated as real.
One theory has been floated for the delay: Reuters reported on 27 October 2026 that the Israeli ad-tech firm Discover-Tech is a leading bidder for advertising shown to Starlink users in more than 100 countries, and a Pakistani analyst suggested on 8 November that this could be a reason for the hold-up. No direct link has been established between the ad deal and Pakistan’s clearance process, so that remains speculation, not a confirmed cause.
What happens next
The next concrete step is the security clearance from the Ministry of Interior. Once that lands for Starlink’s foreign directors and shareholders, the PSARB certificate and the PTA licence can follow — and the 18-month rollout clock starts only when the licence is issued. Until then, the six registrations are paperwork, not service, and Pakistan’s satellite internet wait goes on.
