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.
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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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8 comments:
That bidding is perhaps a ruse, only for the benefit of Spacelink which does have a sufficient number of LEOs in space. Of the other two, OneWeb does not currently have a sufficient number of space-borne satellites, and Shanghai Spacecom currently has none.
Can't trust the PK government media.
Starlink is well ahead with the largest number of satellites (about 7,000) right now but others are building up quickly.
One web currently has about 600 and it’s adding more. They are more focused on commercial, not residential service.
Shanghai Spacecom is launching 18 satellites each month. Their completed network will consist of 14,000 satellites, with ultimate plans of perhaps 30,000 satellites by sometime in the 2030s.
These are early days of LEO deployment. It’ll eventually be a highly competitive marketplace.
Slightly off-topic, but some further tidbits on tomorrow's launch of EO-1 which is reportedly Pakistan's first "fully indigenous" satellite built by SUPARCO.
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"Pakistan set to launch its first fully indigenous Electro-Optical Satellite EO-1"
https://www.app.com.pk/national/pakistan-set-to-launch-its-first-fully-indigenous-electro-optical-satellite-eo-1/
Designed and developed entirely by Pakistani engineers, EO-1 represents a breakthrough in the country’s space science capabilities. The satellite, equipped with cutting-edge imaging technology, is expected to provide substantial benefits across various sectors, including agriculture, environmental monitoring, urban planning, and disaster management.
“This is a historic milestone for Pakistan,” said Zain Bukhari, an expert at SUPARCO, in an interview with APP. “EO-1 is equipped with a high-resolution camera that will capture detailed images of Earth, offering multiple applications. It is the first satellite fully designed and manufactured locally by SUPARCO’s engineers, demonstrating the nation’s capability to achieve self-reliance in space technology.”
“The satellite has undergone rigorous testing to ensure its operational readiness, and Friday’s launch is expected to be a proud moment for the entire nation”, he said.
Looking ahead, Zain Bukhari said that SUPARCO has ambitious plans for deep space missions and scientific research to further expand Pakistan’s presence in the global space arena.
The launch of EO-1 is expected to inspire greater investment in space technology, create job opportunities for youth, and strengthen Pakistan’s position in global space arena, he said.
"Pakistan to soon ‘hear good news’ on launching satellite to moon"
https://english.aaj.tv/news/330398194/pakistan-to-soon-hear-good-news-on-launching-satellite-to-moon
Pakistan has aimed at launching satellites to the moon and beyond and the country plans to expand its space exploration, a Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission official said on Thursday.
He was asked about the country’s collaboration with China in space technology as reports say that the South Asian country has big plans for exploration in 2028.
“SUPARCO is focusing on space exploration, including launching different satellite systems on the moon and beyond that. So work is underway in this regard and soon you will hear good news.”
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Meanwhile, a day before Pakistan's newest imaging satellite EO-1 is expected to blast off from China, India's ISRO apparently succeeded today in docking two small satellites weighing 200 kg each in low-earth orbit after two previous attempts during the last few days were aborted due to technical issues.
Aside from the usual hyperbole about being the "nth country to do such a thing" and joining an "elite club" etc, the ability to dock spacecrafts in orbit will be crucial for India's Chandrayaan-4 lunar sample return mission in a few years (and a planned space station in 2030s and an eventual manned lunar landing perhaps in the 2040s).
"India achieves milestone as fourth nation to succeed in space docking"
https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-isro-successfully-carries-out-space-docking-mission-2025-01-16/
"Pakistan launches first home-made observation satellite EO-1"
https://www.dawn.com/news/1885863/pakistan-launches-first-home-made-observation-satellite-eo-1
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The Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission launched Pakistan’s first indigenous Electro-Optical (EO-1) satellite on Friday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northern China.
The PRSC-EO1 satellite will boost Pakistan’s ability to monitor and manage natural resources, respond to disasters and improve urban planning and agricultural development, Suparco said in a statement.
This type of satellite uses electro-optical sensors to collect data and images of the Earth’s surface by detecting and measuring reflected sunlight or emitted radiation.
China’s Long March-2D carrier rocket also launched two other satellites, Tianlu-1 and Blue Carbon 1, today into orbit along with the PRSC-EO1, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation said in a statement.
Today’s achievement is set to position advanced space technology capabilities at the forefront of Pakistan’s national progress and development, aligning with the goals of the National Space Policy.
In May last year, Pakistan launched a multi-mission communication satellite, PakSat-MM1, to improve internet and communication infrastructure. It was jointly developed by Suparco and the China Great Wall Industry Corporation.
Suparco also joined a lunar exploration mission in November partnering with China’s Chang’e 8 mission, set to launch in 2028.
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Having started on indigenous satellites, I think Pakistan now needs to move on towards developing an indigenous capability of launching these satellites on its own rockets. Currently Pakistan seems to be the only country which has a major ballistic missile program, but lacking an SLV program. Perhaps it will have to start small, perhaps by developing a small SLV out of its missile stages that can put a few tens of kilograms into low-earth orbit (LEO), before moving on to larger rockets that can put a few hundreds of kilograms into orbit.
China launches Earth observation satellite for Pakistan
https://spacenews.com/china-launches-earth-observation-satellite-for-pakistan/
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.
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-dec24
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.
Dear Sir
Salam
I hope you and your team is doing well, Sir their is an IT company in Lahore named Devsinc, mash Allah it is considered as the biggest IT and software based company in Pakistan which has over 18000 employees.
Sir it has head office in San Francisco in California and their one office is in Lahore and they are opening a new office in Dubai. Mash Allah it's a growing IT company in Pakistan and it's founder and CEO is Mr. Usman.
Sir can you pls make a blog about it?
Thanks
Dear Sir
Mashallah their is a good news about Pakistan. Their is a company by the name " RONIN". I am not sure if it is a local Pakistani company or a foreign company but according to Dawn news this company has set up a manufacturing unit or a factory in Pakistan where wearable devices like smart watches, earbuds, head phones and other tech devices will be locally produced and assembled.
Can you pls make a blog about it?
Thanks
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