PTA says Elon Musk’s Starlink not authorised to provide internet services in Pakistan

–The telecom authority has advised the general public to refrain from placing pre-booking orders on Starlink’s websites

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Wednesday officially informed the general public that Elon Musk’s satellite broadband provider Starlink, has neither applied for nor obtained any license from PTA to operate and provide internet services in Pakistan.

PTA in a statement advised the general public to refrain from placing any pre-booking orders on Starlink’s or any of its associated websites.

The directions came in the wake of reports that Starlink, through its website, is asking prospective subscribers to pay a deposit of $99 (refundable) as a pre-order for equipment/services, said PTA.

According to PTA, the authority has already taken up the matter with Starlink asking it to stop taking pre-order bookings from prospective Pakistani consumers with immediate effect as the company has not been granted any license for providing internet facilities in Pakistan.

Earlier a delegation of the US-based global satellite broadband provider, Starlink, consisting of Director Middle East & Asia Ryan Goodnight and Head of Global Site Acquisition Ben Macwilliam, had called on the Minister of IT & Telecom Syed Amin Ul Haque, to discuss the policy and operation model and had later reportedly announced that it will open its office in Pakistan.

Starlink, the brainchild of American entrepreneur Elon Musk, aims to deliver high speed internet to every part of the globe. The company has a special focus towards elevating connectivity in rural areas while at the same time providing an alternative to the cumbersome task of laying down a fiber network.

The company, as of now, has delivered around 2,000 satellites into Earth’s orbit which serve a customer base of more than 10,000 spread across 14 countries. While the company looks to expand in other countries, competitors have been quick to step in through lobbying with the different governments.

 

Ahmad Ahmadani
Ahmad Ahmadani
The author is a an investigative journalist at Profit. He can be reached at [email protected].

26 COMMENTS

  1. PK will the last country in the world to get this service. Bureaucracy will make people suffer as as as they can

  2. PTA is a joke. Bunch of greedy people who are afraid they are finally going to lose their paisa due to their age old tactics and obsolete approach.

  3. I can understand where PTA is coming from. Any country allowing this sort of satellite service would not be able to monitor the Internet packets like neighboring countries performing terrorist activities. Organised criminals with untraceable ISP location etc.

    • have u ever heard of the term Legal Intercept? No service provider can operate without facilitating the telecom authority with an LI

  4. Not in the Rural but also in the urban areas remote areas where people in Pakistan does not have adequate resources and basic health facilities. Farmers need Internet for their crops and people on Mount everest and k2 peaks want Internet to climb and to mark their destinations. So why PTA is saying that Starlink is not Authorized. If someone has access to ample funds accessible in deep pockets of their bank accounts like me the starlink service should be availed as it is available to the people of Pakistan @ a very nominal cost & also in 🇺🇸 DOLLARS 💸.

    SO WHAT R U WAITING FOR. JUST DO IT ✔.

  5. Ban Crypto
    Ban Good Internet
    Don’t Teach AI or any other new tech in schools/colleges
    Floppy Drives still in curriculum
    Ban Computers
    The End

  6. Nothing good comes in this country. Just lame excuses. Instead of bluntly denying such an Investment, they should have adviced them to formally apply for license.

  7. Get the hardware and connect it btw who cares for PTA it’s 2-way traffic direct from satellite nothing through local authority involvement India also not allowing Starlink service they recently announced

  8. All the people crying in the comments, do you not understand that PTA is actually trying to save you guys from depositing money before starlink even gets permission. Pakistan wants to allow starlink to provide connection however it hasn’t been confirmed yet. PTA is just saying not to deposit money incase they don’t get permission.

  9. They must get permission, stupid internet providers are the other losers providers Pakistan should ban all other providers and allow only starlink

  10. Any country allowing this sort of satellite service would not be able to monitor the Internet packets like neighboring countries performing terrorist activities. Our country should have team to monitor and plan such services in better way!

  11. Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Wednesday officially informed the general public that Elon Musk’s satellite broadband provider Starlink, has neither applied for nor obtained any license from PTA to operate and provide internet services in Pakistan.

  12. So I accidentally deleted the joomla folder. But the database its still there untouched..Is it posible that I re-install joomla and connect it with the old database and have all my articles and files back as it was?.

  13. sari batain bhaar main ….. yeah btao Elon musk ki koe baite ha kya…. agar ha tou kisi k pass uska instagram ha…. baite in tou pura satellite in.

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