- Senator Palwasha says Musk’s narrative was amplified by Indian entities.
- Starlink must register with the authorities before obtaining the license: PTA.
- Committee decides to convene the regulatory body at the next meeting.
Senators raised serious concerns about the possible registration of Starlink, a satellite internet company owned by Elon Musk, after the billionaire launched a multi-day tirade against Pakistan on X, linking UK recruiting gangs to Pakistanis .
The reservations were raised during a session of the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunications on Wednesday, chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan in the Parliament House, to deliberate on key issues, including Starlink operations, the bill of personal data protection and the performance of the telecommunications authority.
The Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) informed the senators that the country’s first National Space Policy had been approved in 2023 and relevant regulations were planned for 2024, followed by the establishment of the Pakistan Space Activities Regulatory Board (PSARB), a body governed by the Pakistan National Telecommunication Authority (PTA). Command Authority.
He added that any satellite service will need mandatory registration with the relevant authorities to operate in Pakistan before obtaining a license from the PTA.
He detailed that Musk’s Starlink had applied for a license in February 2022 which was sent to the Ministry of the Interior for security clearance. The head of the telecom regulator added that the license would be granted to Starlink after its registration with the new regulatory board.
He further said that a Chinese company, Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology, would also come to Pakistan, while any company could apply for a license to enter the country’s satellite communications market.
“Musk should apologize”
“Elon Musk engaged in a social media campaign against Pakistan,” argued Senator Dr. Afnan Ullah Khan, urging concerned authorities to take note of what the SpaceX boss propagated against the country.
“Why should we allow these people to operate businesses here, who speak against Pakistanis?” […] or the [Musk] should apologize,” added Dr. Afnan.
To this, the PTA president clarified that the Ministry of Interior (MoI) has not given permission to Starlink and explained that Musk’s company had shared some unofficial documents that claimed that the speed of the service was 100 MBPS.
He added that Starlink would be a broadband service that could support entrepreneurs in remote areas of the country.
‘Immoral content’
Following the PTA president’s remarks, Senator Anusha Rahman raised tough questions on the telecom authority’s strategy to tackle “immoral content and implementation”. [of regulatory decisions]”.
In their opinion, they have witnessed the global evolution of broadband along with Internet disruptions.
“Now you bring a product […] a satellite, which is under the control of an aggressive person like Elon Musk. “We would face many problems of immorality and implementation.”
“Security is not the only issue here,” Senator Rahman stressed, asking which regulatory body would deal with these issues and who would control their content.
The PTA president stated that Starlink would not work satellite-to-satellite, but would be operated through a gateway based in the country.
He added that the authority had conveyed its concerns to Musk’s company and, in response, it agreed to adhere to government policies and assured that it would not circumvent the current system. The service will also follow government instructions to block certain content, he said.
It is noteworthy here that Pakistan’s Foreign Office also reacted strongly to a recent spate of “xenophobic comments” and expressed deep concern over increasingly racist and Islamophobic political and media comments towards the Pakistani community in the UK.
He also called for condemning the elements involved in the demonization of such a large and diverse community based on the actions of a few individuals.
During the meeting, Senator Palwasha expressed concern over Musk’s repeated claims about recruitment gangs in the UK comprising predominantly Pakistani nationals, describing the narrative as disinformation directed against Pakistan, further amplified with the collaboration of Indian entities. .
He questioned whether Starlink has approached Pakistani authorities again after applying for a license two years ago, sparking a stir in the national media.
To this, the PTA chief replied that the matter was discussed again after Musk responded to the X user saying that he is waiting for approval from Pakistani authorities to launch Starlink.
The committee unanimously resolved to convene the already constituted regulatory body for a briefing at the next meeting.
It is pertinent to mention here that Minister of State for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said last month that Pakistan was in touch with Starlink to bring its services to the country.
Musk had also confirmed earlier this month that he was waiting for approval from Islamabad to launch his satellite internet service.
The country has been dealing sporadically with slow internet since last year, with the government consistently blaming faults in undersea cables, while reports hint at possible “firewall” experimentation by authorities.
