Pakistan to License Multiple LEO Satellite Internet Service Providers

[Riaz Haq]

The Pakistan government is preparing to license three low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite operators for space communication services in the country, according to media reports. The companies whose applications are pending include London-based OneWeb, China's Shanghai Spacecom and US headquartered Starlink.  They operate tens of thousands of small mass-produced satellites in low orbits that communicate with designated (mobile and stationary) ground stations.  Each LEO satellite circles the earth in 128 minutes or less. The critical importance of the services they offer has recently become apparent in the Ukraine War being waged in Europe and the ongoing disaster response in the areas devastated by the California wildfires. Such services are essential for any area, remote or otherwise, where the land-based infrastructure either does not exist or it has been destroyed by war or natural disasters.

Representation of low, medium and geosynchronous orbits. Source: MIT

Pakistan has established a regulatory framework consisting of two bodies: the Pakistan Space Activities Regulatory Board (PSARB) and the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA). Each space telecom operator must first get a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the PSARB and then a license from the PTA to operate in Pakistan. The government has reiterated its commitment to fostering digital inclusion through the PSARB, which was established to regulate satellite-based services. Industry experts emphasize that accelerating the approval process is essential for leveraging LEO technologies to boost the country’s digital transformation, according to The News. 

The LEO satellite industry has become highly competitive, with several companies competing for market share. Some of the key players in the industry include SpaceX, OneWeb, Amazon and Shanghai Spacecom, all of which are working to develop and launch their constellations of LEO satellites for various applications such as broadband, internet, remote sensing, and satellite communication, according to the Washington-based Bipartisan Policy Center. 

Initial prices announced by Starlink for Pakistan range from the lowest Rs. 2,000 per month for 2 MPS to Rs. 8,700 per month for 10 MBPS. OneWeb is partnering with VEON to offer Internet access packages but no pricing has yet been announced. Shanghai Spacecom has registered in Pakistan but no pricing is available so far. Hopefully, the competition among the three players will benefit consumers in terms of lower pricing and higher bandwidth availability. It will also reduce the digital divide in the country. 

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[Riaz Haq]

China launches Earth observation satellite for Pakistan

https://spacenews.com/china-launches-earth-observation-satellite-fo...

PRSC-EO1 is the first of a series of three optical remote sensing satellites for Pakistan, which will join the country’s existing remote sensing satellites, PRSS-1 and PakTES-1A, in orbit.

These satellites will provide data for the fields of land mapping, agriculture classification and assessment, urban and rural planning, environmental monitoring, natural disaster monitoring and management, surveying, natural resources protection and others uses, according to SUPARCO.

China and Pakistan have a close space relationship, and Pakistan signed up to China’s International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) moon base project in October 2023.

The mission carried two further satellites. These are the DAO-1 (Tianlu-1) satellite, developed by Galaxy Space for the Jianghuai Frontier Innovation Technology Center, and the Blue Carbon-1 (Lantan-1) satellite, developed by Geespace, also known as Zhejiang Shikong Daoyu Technology Co., Ltd., for Hangzhou Dianzi University.

The launch was China’s third orbital launch attempt of the year. It follows the launch of the Shijian-25 spacecraft servicing satellite Jan. 6, which appears to be approaching the Shijian-21 space debris mitigation technology satellite launched in 2021, and the sea launch of 10 navigation augmentation satellites Jan. 13.

CASC has yet to publish an overview of China’s overall plans for the year, but it may once again attempt to reach around 100 launches, as targeted for 2024. Major missions for 2025 include crewed Shenzhou-20 and -21 missions and Tianzhou cargo spacecraft to the Tiangong space station and the Tianwen-2 near-Earth asteroid sample return mission. The latter is expected to launch around May.

China aims to debut a number of new Long March and potentially reusable commercial rockets during 2025. These include the Long March 8A and 12A, and Zhuque-3 (Landspace), Tianlong-3 (Space Pioneer), Pallas-1 (Galactic Energy) and Kinetica-2 (CAS Space) from commercial entities.

[Riaz Haq]

Arif Habib Limited
@ArifHabibLtd
Pakistan Technology - Highest-ever IT exports recorded in Dec’24 (USD 348mn).

https://x.com/ArifHabibLtd/status/1880207335236481372

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https://tribune.com.pk/story/2522840/it-exports-hit-record-348m-in-...

Pakistan achieved record monthly IT exports of $348 million in December 2024, marking a 15% year-on-year (YoY) increase and a 12% rise month-on-month. These exports also surpassed the 12-month average of $299 million. December 2024 marked the 15th consecutive month of YoY IT export growth, starting from October 2023. Cumulatively, the first half of FY2024-25 (1HFY25) IT exports reached $1.86 billion, up by 28% YoY.

According to Nasheed Malik, an official of Topline Research, the YoY jump in IT exports can be attributed to several factors, including the global expansion of Pakistani IT companies' client base, particularly in the GCC region. Other key contributors include the relaxation of the permissible retention limit by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) - increasing it from 35% to 50% in Exporters' Specialised Foreign Currency Accounts - as well as the introduction of equity investment abroad through these foreign currency accounts and the stabilisation of the local currency, which encouraged exporters to repatriate a larger share of their profits.