'Starlink will have to suspend services if PTA shuts down internet'

Journalist Azaz Syed claimed on Monday that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has set conditions for Elon Musk’s satellite broadband company, Starlink, to operate in Pakistan.

Speaking on the YouTube channel Talk SHOCK, Syed stated that the company has submitted an application to the PTA for approval to launch its internet services in the country.

According to the journalist, one of the key conditions set by the PTA is that Starlink must comply with government-imposed internet shutdowns. This means that if the government shuts down the internet in the country, Starlink must also suspend its services in Pakistan.

Musk, while responding to Pakistani social media activists on X (formerly Twitter) last month, confirmed that he was awaiting Islamabad’s approval to launch Starlink in Pakistan.

Days after the response from the Starlink owner, Minister of State for Information Technology (IT) and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, stated in an interview with a private news outlet that Musk's company had registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP).

“[Following the approval] the space board authority is looking into various technical aspects, and we have communicated [about this] to Starlink,” she said.

The journalist claimed that some had already brought the Starlink internet device into the country and had used it.

“Starlink internet is not very expensive, as its routers are available for around $500 to $600,” he said.

Starlink is a satellite internet constellation built by SpaceX to provide satellite internet access. The system aims to deliver high-speed broadband to areas where access has been unreliable, expensive, or unavailable. The network consists of thousands of small, mass-produced satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), working in tandem with ground transceivers.

Reports cited a senior executive from an IT company who stated that they had been using Starlink's services to maintain a reliable and uninterrupted connection for their overseas customers.

According to the IT official, the company ordered all necessary equipment from the United Kingdom (UK), and although the service was more expensive, it eased their concerns about losing business.

“Starlink’s standard residential package is GBP 79 [around PKR 27,000] while business packages start at GBP 110 [around PKR 37,000] per month. Our company has acquired their upgraded package, the monthly fee for which is about GBP 750 [over PKR 2.5 lacs]. Their rates are very high, but we are no longer worried about internet outages and disruption of business activities,” an IT official said.