Has Starlink Recently Registered in Pakistan?

Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, has confirmed on Monday that Starlink, the satellite-based internet service owned by Elon Musk, has registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP). The announcement has sparked widespread excitement, particularly after Musk himself stated two days earlier that he was awaiting Islamabad’s approval to launch Starlink in Pakistan. Musk’s statement was in response to messages from a Pakistani social media activist on platform X (formerly Twitter). While this news has generated significant buzz, it is important to approach the announcement with caution. A similar claim had already been made in March 2023 when Ryan Goodnight, Director of Global Licensing and Market Activation at SpaceX, met with Syed Aminul Haq, the then Federal Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunication. Following the meeting, Syed Aminul Haq confirmed that Starlink had already registered with the SECP. At that time, Goodnight praised Pakistan’s progress in the IT and telecommunications sector, stating that “basic steps are complete, and now we are ready to go fast.” The recent statement from Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja suggests continuity in Starlink’s registration status rather than a fresh development. It appears the company had already been registered in Pakistan in 2023, though the service rollout is still pending government approval. As Starlink’s potential launch remains a topic of interest, the public is advised to temper their expectations until more concrete steps, such as formal government approvals and service launch timelines, are announced. The registration itself is a procedural step and does not automatically indicate immediate service availability. For now, all eyes remain on Islamabad and SpaceX as they navigate the final hurdles for Starlink’s much-anticipated debut in Pakistan.