Talks underway to bring Musk’s Starlink to Pakistan: IT minister

The Minister of State for Information Technology, Shaza Fatima, has announced efforts to bring Elon Musk’s satellite company, Starlink, to Pakistan. 

The statement was made during a meeting of the Senate's Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication, chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan.

The committee discussed various concerns related to the IT sector, including internet speed issues and the regulation of VPN services.

Palwasha Khan expressed frustration over the Ministry of IT’s dependency on the Ministry of Interior for many of its decisions, questioning why the Ministry of IT is unable to handle certain issues independently.

 Ministry of IT officials responded by stating that they are working to ensure that the country’s IT industry faces minimal disruptions while fulfilling national security requirements.

Chairman of the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA), Sajad Syed, highlighted the rapid growth of the IT industry, which is expanding at a rate of 30%. 

He also expressed concerns about internet services being disrupted during national security crises, noting that VPN usage is closely monitored in many countries. 

Syed recommended that the government should register VPN providers locally, as free VPNs pose data security risks.

Regarding internet speed, committee members raised concerns over slow internet services across the country. 

Some committee members speculated that the slowdown could be due to firewalls or other technical issues, but Chairman of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Major General (retd) Amir Azeem Bajwa, denied there being any policy to intentionally slow down the internet.

He assured the committee that VPN licensing would help address concerns about the usage of illegal VPNs.

Minister Shaza Fatima briefed the committee on ongoing amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), noting that the government is focusing on regulating fake news and addressing technical reasons for slow internet speeds. 

Senator Afnan Ullah Khan raised questions about the usage of VPNs by terrorists, asking the minister about specific instances. 

Fatima responded that she could not discuss security-related matters in detail, but assured that if internet services need to be disrupted for security reasons, it would be done with heavy hearts.

The committee also discussed the ongoing impact of internet disruptions on millions of users, with some members suggesting that commercial activities are being hindered due to inconsistent service.

Minister Fatima confirmed that the government plans to auction the 5G spectrum in April, which could improve the country’s internet infrastructure.