Pakistan launches satellite internet to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink

The launch and ongoing operation of PakSat-MM1, Pakistan’s first multi-mission satellite, marks a significant turning point in the country’s space program.

This satellite has greatly advanced Pakistan’s technological capabilities, allowing the nation to offer space-based internet services.

State Minister for information technology, Shaza Fatima, made the announcement concurrently with the publication of the nation’s first national space policy.

The minister underscored in this new policy framework the critical importance of PakSat-MM1 and its potential to revolutionize connectivity across Pakistan, particularly in rural and underserved regions.

Fatima emphasized that the satellite is crucial to addressing one of Pakistan’s long-standing issues: providing internet connectivity to rural regions, where traditional infrastructure development has proven challenging.

The minister expressed optimism regarding the transformative potential of this technology and conjectured that more digitisation may lead to significant advancements in critical domains such as healthcare and education.

The wide range of capabilities of the satellite has been commended by SUPARCO Chairman Yusuf Khan and PakSat CEO Khalid Rashid. PakSat-MM1, according to their claims, will offer all kinds of services, including broadband internet, telephony, and data transit.

PakSat-MM1 is expected to significantly boost internet speeds nationwide, as both Khan and Rashid emphasized.

Furthermore, the long-standing issues of high costs and logistical challenges associated with installing traditional telecom infrastructure in remote places are resolved by the satellite’s ability to give 5G coverage. With the successful deployment and utilization of PakSat-MM1, Khan and Rashid boldly predicted that Pakistan’s GDP might rise by as much as 2.5 percent.