Billionaire Elon Musk confirmed on Saturday that Starlink has applied for permission to launch internet services in Pakistan, but is currently awaiting approval from the government.

Musk’s confirmation came in response to a post by Pakistani netizen Sanam Jamali, who expressed hope that Starlink could help propel Pakistan into a more connected future. 

In a follow-up post, Jamali claimed that Pakistan had approved Starlink’s entry and urged Musk to expedite the launch, stressing the potential benefits of providing millions of people with better connectivity, education, and opportunities.

Source: X

Earlier, Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja confirmed that Pakistan is in negotiations with Elon Musk’s Starlink to bring satellite internet services to the country. 

She discussed the ongoing talks during a heated parliamentary session on Friday, acknowledging Pakistan’s internet infrastructure challenges while stating that the government is committed to improving internet services despite recent disruptions, including the ban on X, which she said affects less than two percent of the population.

She further justified surveillance measures by citing national security concerns, especially in light of recent terrorist attacks.

Starlink’s previous attempts to enter the market have been delayed due to regulatory hurdles, particularly concerns over interference with Pakistan’s geostationary satellite, PakSAT-MM1. 

According to a report by Top10VPN.com, Pakistan ranked as the nation most impacted by internet outages, suffering losses of $1.62 billion. This is part of a larger global trend where internet outages totaled 88,788 hours last year, leading to a financial loss of $7.69 billion.