Starlink to Start Internet Services in Pakistan by Nov

Staff Report

Islamabad: Federal IT Minister Shaza Fatima here on Monday, stated that only a provisional license has been issued to Starlink to provide satellite-based internet services in Pakistan and Starlink’s services could be available in Pakistan by November-December of this year.

The final regulatory approval was yet awaited,” she said during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on IT & Telecom, chaired by Syed Amin-ul-Haque, and said that the Starlink services were expected to be available in the country by the year-end.

“Starlink’s services could be available in Pakistan by November-December of this year,” the minister said.

Starlink, the satellite internet service by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has recently been granted a provisional license by the Pakistan Space Activities Regulatory Board (PSARB) that was mainly related to the security concerns of the new technology.IT Exports Up 6%

The federal minister confirmed that there are no complications in Starlink’s licensing process, and emphasised that satellite internet is a new technology and requires careful consideration.

The minister also added that a Chinese firm ‘Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology’ (SSST) has also applied for a satellite internet license, she said that the government was encouraging competition in the sector.

While, Chairman Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Major General (rtd) Hafeez-ur-Rehman, informed the committee that Starlink has been issued a temporary license by the Space Board.

He clarified that a permanent license will be issued once regulatory processes are finalized and a consultant has been hired to finalize regulations for the satellite-based internet services.

Chairman PTA revealed that multiple spectrum cases are pending in courts, and informed the committee that if these cases remain unresolved, the 5G auction process could face hurdles.

He added that Pakistan was currently utilizing 274 MHz of the spectrum, which is insufficient.

He added that approximately 860 MHz was required for smooth connectivity.

The NA Committee appointed a sub-committee to analyze the pending litigation around Spectrum issues especially those that may potentially impact the 5G auction and analyze cases where litigants have obtained stay orders causing financial loss to the national exchequer. 

The convener of the sub-committee will be Gohar Ali Khan, and its members are Umair Khan Niazi, Ammar Ahmad Khan Leghari, and Ms. Sharmila Farooqui.

The federal minister stressed that spectrum auctions should not focus solely on revenue generation but also consider industry health and infrastructure development.

The committee also discussed the status of the internet-based communication App – ‘BEEP’ for the officials, and the meeting informed the CEO of, the National Information Technology Board (NITB), Babar Majid Bhatti, that the BEEP App was ready for launch.

He added that the BEEP App has been developed for secure communication among government officials and it resembled ‘WhatsApp’ in interface but with enhanced security, supports audio/video calls and document sharing, and features of Zoom-style video conferencing.

While the public rollout of the app was possible BEEP can be extended to non-government employees in Pakistan later.

The committee recommended an immediate launch of the App and directed that security clearance be completed in collaboration with NTISB.

The Committee witnessed a walkout by Mr. Pullain Baloch due to the lack of internet services in his constituency and the chairman of the committee informed that a formal letter had been sent by the Committee to the Secretary of Interior regarding the suspension of internet services in the constituency of Mr. Baloch, followed by a reminder.

“However, it was regretful that no response has been received to date,” Mr Haque added.

Taking notice of this situation, the Committee decided to call the secretary of interior in the next meeting to present a clear timeline for resolving the issue of internet suspension.

The IT minister cited security concerns, stating that terrorists misuse internet services in remote areas.

The committee also expressed serious concern over mobile signal and connectivity issues in Karachi, and in responding to the queries chairman PTA confirmed that two show-cause notices were issued during the last week of Ramazan.

He explained that prolonged power outages affected mobile signal backup systems, causing service interruptions.