Low earth orbit (LEO) operators have held the government and regulatory bodies responsible for delay in issuing licenses for the launch of satellite-based internet services in Pakistan.

Industry experts point out that Pakistan has invested an estimated $400 million in two geo-stationary earth orbit (GEO) satellites, but these assets did not generate meaningful commercial returns.

Pakistan has not been able to meaningfully tap into this shift. Multiple international LEO operators including Starlink, OneWeb, Amazon Kuiper and SpaceSail have indicated they are ready to provide services but have been waiting for regulatory clarity and approvals for years.

Industry observers argue that these delays are limiting the rural broadband potential, industrial Internet of Things (IoT) expansion, maritime connectivity and disaster response capabilities, at a time when global peers are treating satellite broadband as a mainstream layer of national resilience.

Discussions with industry officials revealed that interested operators had given assurances that they would fully comply with government of Pakistan’s regulations, including national security and legal compliance mechanisms required prior to service launch.

They have also indicated that traffic routing will follow the approved national systems and compliance processes already applicable to terrestrial broadband providers and cellular mobile operators.

“The idea that satellite operators want to bypass security requirements is misinformation,” said an industry observer, adding that they were prepared to comply with the legal frameworks already in place.

A foreign technology expert with knowledge of Pakistan’s LEO and GEO satellite landscape suggested that prolonged indecision may be linked to efforts to protecting state investments in domestic GEO satellite assets.

“It appears the government is protecting its GEO satellite investment rather than enabling globally proven connectivity solutions,” the industry official said. “But the industry has moved forward. LEO is where scale and commercial momentum is accelerating.”

GEO and LEO satellite technology has evolved into a complementary ecosystem, where GEO provides wide-area coverage and stable capacity for broadcast and backbone applications, while LEO delivers low-latency, high-throughput broadband – together forming a hybrid architecture that many countries now view as the future of resilient connectivity.

Industry experts noted that Pakistan’s satellite communications ecosystem was often shaped by institutions and individuals lacking deep technical expertise, which may be contributing to weak regulatory design and delayed decision-making.

“A high-technology sector cannot be led by non-technical bodies,” the expert remarked. “It impacts licensing rules, compliance frameworks and the pace at which the country adapts.”

Beyond licensing delays, the expert argued that under modern space governance principles, national space bodies were expected to do more than operate satellites. They are also responsible for developing enabling infrastructure, nurturing skilled space professionals, supporting commercialisation of space products and services, building domestic industry capability, and formulating space laws and governance mechanisms.

Industry observers claim Pakistan has not made meaningful progress on building these enabling structures, leaving the ecosystem stagnant while the global space economy accelerates.

The contrast between global momentum and domestic hesitation has also sharpened scrutiny of Pakistan’s approach to high-profile technology initiatives such as AI Week 2026, promoted as the most important technology event in Pakistan’s history.

While the event has generated attention through summits, showcases and investment messaging, several analysts described it as part of a recurring national cycle of “event-driven progress,” where polished conferences and optimistic claims outpace real reform.

“Now we’ll see the usual cycle – billion-dollar numbers, polished panels and the same speakers,” said a telecom policy analyst. “But structural reforms remain stuck.”

Experts warn that if manufactured narratives continue to drive perception and policy, Pakistan will remain capable of hosting technology showcases while genuine innovation is constrained behind the scenes.

Despite the challenges, telecom experts believe Pakistan still has an opportunity to reset its direction. However, they caution that the global market is rapidly shifting towards infrastructure models that are cloud-integrated, satellite-enabled and increasingly independent of traditional terrestrial limitations.

“The world is building for the next decade,” said a senior regulatory executive. “Pakistan is still debating technologies that are already operational globally.”

Until regulatory consistency and execution replace uncertainty and delay, experts warn that Pakistan risks remaining a market where ambition is modern, but delivery remains permanently postponed.

Amazon, for instance, already operates one of the world’s largest global footprints of cloud infrastructure through AWS and industry analysts believe the company intends to leverage this ecosystem as a strategic advantage for its LEO satellite initiative – Project Kuiper. The integration of satellite broadband with cloud platforms, edge processing and enterprise-grade connectivity services is increasingly seen as the next battleground in global telecom.

Meanwhile, OneWeb has expanded aggressively in Europe, aligning itself with governments and telecom operators to deliver secure satellite broadband services designed for enterprise and sovereign use cases.

Starlink, operated by SpaceX, has already launched in more than 165 countries, rapidly becoming an alternative connectivity platform in remote regions, maritime operations, disaster recovery environments and isolated industrial settings. Other LEO players such as SpaceSail have also entered the global race, expanding competition and accelerating innovation in satellite broadband delivery.