ISLAMABAD: Amid ongoing internet disruptions and a social media gag in the country, the government on Monday informed National Assembly that Starlink – the satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk – is expected to begin operations in Pakistan by November or December this year.
During a session in National Assembly, Federal Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja revealed that Starlink had been granted a temporary registration in Pakistan following the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“With the consensus of all security and regulatory bodies, Starlink has been issued a temporary no-objection certificate (NOC),” Khawaja said.
She added that the government is working on releasing additional spectrum, with an auction scheduled in the coming months, adding the Frequency Allocation Board has made available an additional 567 MHz of spectrum in multiple frequency bands, representing more than 200 per cent of the current spectrum capacity.
Meanwhile, in a written reply to questions asked by the members, the Minister In-charge of the Prime Minister’s Office outlined the government’s plans to reduce national debt by boosting tax collection, aiming for 13.5 per cent of GDP over the next three years.
He said that efforts will also focus on expanding the taxpayer base through data analytics, ensuring equitable tax distribution, and privatising state-owned enterprises, adding the government is also working with provincial authorities to streamline operations and reduce waste in the civil service.
He said that the 13th Five-Year Plan (2024-2029), approved by the National Economic Council (NEC), targets the creation of 10 million jobs over the next five years.
“The plan aims to achieve six per cent annual economic growth by FY2029, supported by increased private sector and foreign direct investment. The government projects that exports will rise by US$60 billion by FY2028, boosting the export share of GDP from 10 per cent to approximately 15 per cent,” he said.
“The 13th Five-Year Plan targets exports of goods and services to rise to US$63 billion by FY2029,” he added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Comments