Elon Musk’s satellite broadband company, Starlink, has officially been registered with Pakistan’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SECP), confirmed Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication.

According to media reports, the registration follows approval from the relevant authorities, with the Space Board now reviewing technical aspects of Starlink’s operations in Pakistan.

The IT minister also noted that a regulatory framework is being developed to allow low earth orbit (LEO) satellite companies, including Starlink, to operate in Pakistan.

This development came two days after Musk confirmed that he was awaiting the approval of the government of Pakistan to launch Starlink in the country.

Pakistani officials, speaking to local media, mentioned that international consultants are helping create a regulatory framework for non-jurisdictional and non-stationary LEO satellites.

The officials added that these satellites could potentially interfere with local frequencies, so a comprehensive policy is being formulated.

The government aims to make the sector open to international companies, including Chinese firms, which are known for their expertise in LEO satellite technology.

However, the process is expected to take several months to finalize.

Pakistan has struggled with slow internet speeds, ranking poorly in global mobile and broadband speed indices.

The country was ranked 100th out of 111 nations for mobile internet speed and 141st out of 158 for broadband speeds.

This issue, along with other technical disruptions, has led to financial losses for the country’s IT industry.