The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information Technology has called for the rapid completion of its agreement with Starlink, where parliamentary secretary confirms that the service will be available in the country in June 2024.

The committee, led by Aminul HAQ, discussed various key problems, including Information Technology (IT) Ministry’s PSDF for FY 2024-25 and other important projects.

HAQ instructed officials to speed up the License Process for Starlink, Satellite Internet Provider owned by Elon Musk, who has been in discussions with Pakistan for almost two years.

Starlink’s licensing process had previously stopped due to the absence of a regulatory authority pointed out by Barrister Gohar, a member of the committee. The Pakistani authorities are aiming to end the necessary paperwork soon, with the potential for Starlink to be operational in mid -2024.

Concerns were raised about security, where committee member Ahmed ATIQ questions the security of data protection.

“Today, data security is a significant problem, and I have doubts about Starlink’s ability to protect the data of our citizens,” he said. However, the committee did not raise significant objections to the satellite service provider.

The committee also discussed the State of Internet Connection in the country with Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) President, May Gen (R) Amir Azeem Bajwa, revealing that PTA had contributed RS1.7 trillion to public revenue for the past six years.

However, Bajwa complained that the government had not made any investments in the telecom sector during this time. “High-speed internet connection comes from putting fiber cables. India’s modi government invested $ 13 billion in their telecommunications sector while we haven’t made such investments,” he said.

He urged the government to focus on accelerating fiber optic infrastructure development by India’s example.

In response to questions regarding connection problems in rural areas, the PTA chairman explained that telecommunications companies hesitated to establish towers in areas without business potential. “We are working to force companies to install towers in these regions,” Bajwa noted.

The committee members expressed frustration over the country’s insufficient internet services, with some areas lacking access, even 40 kilometers outside Lahore. “Our children have to travel from remote areas to cities for basic internet access,” said Member Ahmed Atiq.

In response, the PTA chairman promised that 2,000 telecommunications towers would be installed in 2024, with new towers planned for remote regions such as buns. “90% of the conversations with Starlink and Space Regulatory Body are completed and the license process is now on its final phase,” he added.

The committee recommended that the government accelerate the negotiations with Starlink to ensure timely service development in Pakistan.