The Permanent National Committee for the Information Technology of the Assembly has urged the rapid completion of its agreement with Starlink, and the parliamentary secretary confirms that the service will be available in the country in June 2024.
The Committee, chaired by Aminul Haq, discussed several key issues, including the PSDF of the Ministry of Information Technology (IT) for fiscal year 2024-25 and other important projects.
HAQ instructed officials to accelerate the Starlink license process, the Satellite Internet service provider owned by Elon Musk, who has been in conversations with Pakistan for almost two years.
The Starlink license process had previously stagnated due to the absence of a regulatory authority, as noted by lawyer Gohar, a member of the committee. Pakistani authorities aim to complete the necessary paperwork soon, with the potential that Starlink works in operation in mid -2024.
Concerns about security were raised, and the member of the Ahmed Atiq committee questioned the security of data privacy.
“Today, data security is an important problem, and I have doubts about Starlink’s ability to safeguard our citizens’ data,” he said. However, the Committee did not raise significant objections to the satellite service provider.
The Committee also discussed the state of Internet connectivity in the country, with the president of the Telecommunications Authority of Pakistan (PTA), Maj Gen (R) Amir Azeem Bajwa, revealing that PTA had contributed with RS1.7 billion income of the government in the last six years.
However, Bajwa regretted that the government has not made any investment in the telecommunications sector during this time. “High speed Internet connectivity comes from placing fiber cables. The Modi government of India invested $ 13 billion in its telecommunications sector, while we have not made such an investment,” he said.
He urged the Government to focus on accelerating the development of fiber optic infrastructure, following India’s example.
In response to questions about connectivity problems in rural areas, the president of the PTA explained that telecommunications companies doubted towers in areas without commercial potential. “We are working to force companies to install towers in these regions,” Bajwa said.
The members of the committee expressed their frustration for inadequate internet services in the country, with some areas that lack access even 40 kilometers outside of Lahore. “Our children have to travel from remote areas to cities for basic Internet access,” said Member Ahmed Atiq.
In response, the president of the PTA promised that 2,000 telecommunications towers would be installed in 2024, with new torres planned for remote regions such as Buner. “90% of conversations with Starlink and the space regulatory body are complete, and the license process is now in its final stage,” he added.
The Committee recommended that the government accelerate negotiations with Starlink to guarantee the deployment of timely service in Pakistan.
