The Standing Committee on Information Technology & Telecommunication directed on Tuesday the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to expedite the process to bring Starlink services in Pakistan, a statement from the National Assembly Secretariat said.
PTA chairman Major General (R) Hafeez Ur Rehman informed the committee that Starlink contacted Pakistan in 2022 to provide internet services through Satellite.
“However, its matters with the Pakistan Space Regulatory Authority are still under process,” Rehman was quoted as saying in the NA statement. “Until the license agreement is finalised, internet services cannot be provided in Pakistan.”
“The committee directed PTA to expedite the process with Starlink to ensure the provision of internet services in the country,” the statement added.
Last month, tech billionaire Elon Musk said Starlink had applied to launch internet services in Pakistan and was “waiting for approval from the government.”
“We are waiting for approval from the [Pakistan] government,” Elon Musk responded to a post on X then.
In a meeting on the Senate’s Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication on January 22, PTA chairman informed that Starlink Internet Services (Private) Ltd was yet to get security clearance – a prerequisite for obtaining license and launching services in Pakistan.
“The matter can be resolved in one month and Starlink can launch services, once it gets security clearance as well as the required LDI and LL licenses from PTA,” Rehman said then.
Starlink internet services: Existing players could face some serious challenges
It may be noted that Pakistan was ranked among the top nations that faced most internet outages in the year 2024.
According to Top10VPN.com, a VPN reviewer, the global internet disruption lasted 88,788 hours last year, which caused an estimated financial loss of $7.69 billion.
It said Pakistan was the single most affected nation with $1.62bn in losses, followed by Myanmar ($1.58bn) and Sudan ($1.12bn) in 2024.
Budgetary proposals relating to IT ministry’s PSDP
Meanwhile, the committee discussed the budgetary proposals relating to Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) of the Ministry of Information Technology and its attached departments for the financial year 2025-26.
“After detailed deliberations, the committee endorsed the budgetary proposal amounting to Rs43,651.380 million for the next financial year 2025-26,” the statement read.
National Fiberisation Policy
The Universal Service Fund (USF) informed the committee that Pakistan is currently utilising 274 MHz of the spectrum, which it termed insufficient.
“Approximately 860 MHz is required for smooth connectivity,” USF CEO Chaudhry Mudassar Naveed was quoted as saying in the statement.
He further explained that there are two types of spectrum: landline spectrum and wireless spectrum. Wireless spectrum is primarily provided by telecom operators.
“To enhance connectivity and internet services in the country, the ministry is working on the National Fiberisation Policy, which is expected to be completed within three to four months.
“Once finalised, it will help assess the required funds and investment for the fiberisation of Telecom towers across the country,” the NA statement read.
The committee recommended that approximately 10% of the funds from USF should be allocated for fiberisation, urging that the fiberisation process should be completed as quickly as possible to ensure efficient internet services in the country.
American Dollar Exchange Rate