The parliamentary secretary of the Ministry of IT has announced that Starlink services will be available in Pakistan by June this year. During a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on IT and Telecom, Chairman Amin Ul Haq chaired the session. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar stressed that Pakistan’s telecom infrastructure remains outdated despite the country’s population reaching 250 million, and that the PTA should urge companies to improve their infrastructure. He added that the absence of internet access is harming students, and the introduction of Starlink would be a great improvement.
PTA Chairman mentioned that 90% of the discussions with Starlink and the space regulatory body have been completed, and once the discussions are finalized, the licensing process will be quicker. The Parliamentary Secretary stated that Starlink services would be available by June, as discussions with the company are in the final stages. The IT Standing Committee recommended expediting the process to complete the Starlink licensing as soon as possible.
Concerns were raised regarding data security, with some expressing skepticism about the protection of local user data by Starlink. The PTA Chairman assured that the telecom sector has generated significant revenue for the government, but no major investments have been made in infrastructure. He also mentioned that India had spent $13 billion on telecom infrastructure and laid down 35 million kilometers of fiber cables.
The committee also discussed the importance of the Data Protection Bill and the Artificial Intelligence policy, which is expected to be completed by the end of February. The Chairman asked if there were any plans for improving connectivity, to which the PTA Chairman responded that internet speed and connectivity rely on the installation of fiber cables.
