This is the latest news about Starlink’s Potential Launch in Pakistan 2025. After receiving security clearance, which was a requirement for obtaining the license in Pakistan, the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology (IT) was notified on Wednesday that Starlink internet service could be introduced in Pakistan. The chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Maj-Gen (retd) Hafeezur Rehman, briefed the committee, which was chaired by Palwasha Khan, and expressed the hope that the Starlink issue would be settled in a month.
American tech billionaire Elon Musk owns Starlink Services, which runs the Starlink satellite internet constellation. Musk acknowledged earlier this month that Starlink had submitted an application for authorization to begin internet services in Pakistan and was awaiting the government’s response.
Rehman informed the Senate committee that in order to launch the services in Pakistan, Starlink Internet Services (Private) Ltd needed to get the PTA’s security clearance, Long Distance & International (LDI), and Local Loop (LL) licenses. “Starlink services are not available in Pakistan, not even through illegal means,” Rehman stated. He added, “Starlink could launch the services once it gets security clearance as well as the required LDI and LL,” and hoped that the issue would be settled in a month.
The chair of the discussion voiced concerns about Elon Musk’s repeated allegations of Pakistani-run grooming gangs in the UK. According to her, the story was “targeted disinformation against Pakistan” that was spread in coordination with Indian organizations.
Palwasha Khan informed the committee, “It appears that Elon Musk has collaborated with India to spread untrue accusations against Pakistan.” Afnanullah Khan, a committee member, suggested that Musk’s public apology for his anti-Pakistan statements should be a requirement for granting Starlink a license.
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Before granting a license, the PTA needs to take Musk’s anti-Pakistan campaign into account. Before taking any further action, he ought to issue an apology for his remarks, Afnanullah Khan stated. According to the IT special secretary, Musk has not communicated directly with Pakistani authorities. The IT secretary recognized that offering satellite internet services in Pakistan is delicate. According to the PTA chief, any satellite service provider that complies with the PTA licensing requirements is eligible to offer satellite-based telecommunication services.
According to Rehman, Starlink Internet Services Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd., a subsidiary of Netherlands BV Starlink (SpaceX), is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP). The business asked the PTA for approval to offer internet services to customers directly.
According to him, the company established two or three ground stations (GS) in Pakistan in order to obtain authorization to offer internet services from the Starlink NGSO satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). By uplinking and downlinking through space stations to end users, Starlink satellites will increase the bandwidth available from GS.
According to him, Starlink submitted applications for 14 LL licenses on April 29, 2022, and an LDI license on February 24, 2022. He stated that the complaint was sent to the IT Ministry on March 11, 2022, in light of the services that Starlink provides directly to customers via a network of satellites. The committee was told that there were no documented instances of interference with GSO satellites or terrestrial systems when the Starlink satellite constellation was in operation throughout the world. According to officials, Starlink activities might be taken into consideration on a non-exclusive, non-interference, and non-protection basis.
After learning that the National Satellite Policy was authorized in December 2023 and would be carried out by the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco), the committee questioned if a caretaker government could adopt a policy and its regulations.
The National Space Activity Rules were released on February 1, 2024; the committee was also told. The Pakistan Space Activities Regulatory Board (PSARB) would oversee all space operations carried out in Pakistan, including satellite service providers like Starlink’s registration.
No bill with financial ramifications could be tabled without adequate scrutiny, a law ministry representative stressed. Afnanullah Khan, the measure’s mover, bemoaned the protracted delays and emphasized that the bill ought to have been passed. He urged the law ministry to be transparent about its position and maintained that the bill did not violate the Constitution. Additionally, Senator Anusha Rahman emphasized how important it is to have strong data protection policies.
After thorough discussions, the committee decided to arrange a one-point agenda meeting with members from the Law and Justice Division to discuss and settle the issue only on the Personal Data Protection Bill. The performance of the Telecom Foundation was also discussed. The committee was told that it was a self-funded organization that currently provides health services and operates 15 schools. By the end of this year, it was anticipated that the trust’s gross revenue would have reached Rs 1 billion.
The committee was told by the IT additional secretary that the trust would now function independently and that the government would no longer be involved. The committee emphasized that the Telecom Foundation should operate autonomously and concentrate on its primary duties.
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