Islamabad, Dec 5: Shaza Fatima Khawaja, the Minister of State for IT and Telecommunication, told the Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecom on Thursday that negotiations were on to implement Elon Musk’s Starlink services to address Pakistan’s slow internet problem. The committee was briefed by IT Minister Shaza Fatima, who stated that although there were technical difficulties, the internet was only ever blocked for security reasons.
Intervention to Promote a Positive Business Climate. According to Shaza, the government is looking at measures to lessen the negative effects of these interruptions on the IT industry. She added that discussions were underway between the government and Starlink to provide internet services in Pakistan. The minister gave little specifics about this development.
The committee discussed the impending 5G spectrum auction in April 2025, which might help address some of the infrastructural issues creating the nation’s internet-related issues. However, the IT Minister made no promises or updates.
It is worth noting that Starlink has been actively working to introduce its services in Pakistan since registering as “Starlink Internet Services Pakistan (Private) Ltd.” with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) in December 2021.
The company has met all requirements to establish the satellite-based internet service, as the Starlink website makes evident. All that is required is regulatory approval. In August, Shaza told the National Assembly that Starlink’s failure to comply with the government’s technical and regulatory framework had caused a delay in the license approval process.
