Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has raised its concerns after the Elon Musk’s SpaceX-owned Starlink submitted an application to operate in Pakistan.
The official documents have revealed that the relevant stakeholders are evaluating Starlink’s technical plan.
The current regulatory provisions allow Long Distance and International (LD1) and Local Loop (LL) licensees of PTA to provide satellite-based telecommunication services in their respective licensed region(s).
As per details, Musk’s Starlink has submitted an application for an LDI license for Pakistan, along with 14 x LL licenses for all Telecom Regions of the country.
The government has asked for output from various stakeholders such as SUPARCO, LEAs, PTA, and FAB, regarding Starlink’s technical and business plan.
It should be noted that other countries take a cautious approach to granting or denying Starlink access due to respective satellite regimes and security concerns.
At the moment, Starlink’s data hosting outside Pakistan and utilization of laser technology from satellite to satellite without using Earth Gateways is being technically analysed by the the country’s regulatory body for telecommunications.
The PTA will decide whether to let Starlink operate in Pakistan or not following clearance from all stakeholders.
Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication was also briefed in this regard.
The committee was informed that technology is still in its early stages and security concerns are hindering any further progress.
Senator Kauda Babar, who is the chairman of the committee, formed a sub-committee settle the matter and bring it to a logical end. The Sub-committee will sit with all the stakeholders and resolve the issues.