The launch of satellite internet services in Pakistan is highly anticipated, as well-known operators are preparing to begin high-speed internet offerings in the fifth most populated country in the world. This development is expected to create a new ecosystem within the country, attracting both foreign and local investments in core and related sectors.
Stakeholders in the IT and allied sectors believe that satellite internet services will act as a catalyst to transform businesses and accelerate the national drive to the digitisation of the economy and governance systems. Hence, it will attract handsome investments not only from satellite operators and their partner companies but also from the public and private sectors.
Muhammad Umair Nizam, Senior Vice Chairman P@SHA said that the availability of high-speed satellite internet will enable the penetration of IT business, services, and education across the country, strengthening the ecosystem of the IT industry, fostering local adoption, and supporting future export growth.
With the presence of the right human resources and high-speed internet, IT entrepreneurs will establish their software houses in small cities with affordable costs of real estate and other expenses, he added. Renowned IT companies may also expand their operations in different cities to provide services and projects to their foreign and local clients at highly competitive prices, which will enhance their export earnings.
Muhammad Umair Nizam added that beyond the IT sector, various allied and diverse industries could leverage high-speed satellite internet connectivity to establish businesses ranging from large-scale industrial units to small-scale enterprises. This, he noted, had the potential to generate an overwhelming amount of job opportunities for the country's younger generation in a short span of time.
It has been reported that a number of foreign and local satellite internet operators have expressed their interest in launching services in Pakistan, with Starlink, Elon Musk's renowned company likely to take the lead. The operators will not only submit operational fees to the government but will also invest handsomely in infrastructure and on-ground operations, allowing the country to receive handsome foreign exchange inflows in the telecom sector.
Satellite internet systems could play a major role in achieving the national target of financial inclusion, documentation, and digitisation of the economy, provided a conducive transparent policy is placed by the government and the stakeholders, said Mehwish Salman Ali, a member PASHA committee on AI and CEO Datavault.
She suggested that the government, financial institutions, and industries could effectively achieve their targets of better governance and business growth while storing their precious information in data centres located in other cities rather than provincial capitals. Through solar-powered data centres, Pakistanis not only preserve their confidential information easily but could also provide services to foreign companies operating in the region.
The uninterrupted high-speed internet will support financial systems in small cities and urban areas of the country, including tourist destinations and trading cities, she remarked. Pakistani entrepreneurs could leverage e-commerce to export traditional and homegrown products to metropolitan and international markets under their own brand labels, she added.
Satellite internet service is usually higher than the broadband internet services provided by mobile phone companies and wireless internet providers. Therefore, a limited segment of residential consumers will be able to afford this connectivity, but it is suitable for businesses of different sizes ranging from manufacturing, trading, and the service industry. According to reports, a basic internet package will cost Rs35,000 per month, with the cost of installation of devices starting from Rs110,000.
Chairman Pakistan Freelancers Association (PAFLA) Ibrahim Amin said that satellite internet services will give impetus to freelancing and remote work culture in Pakistan, mainly in small cities and rural areas.
"I foresee satellite internet and solar-powered electric systems creating an opportunity for local investors to establish co-working spaces, e-Rozgar centres, and freelancing hubs in rural areas.
These facilities will provide affordable workstations to local freelancers, who will prefer to work in their hometown rather than moving to metropolises where they will have to spends extra money on traveling and accommodation. I also foresee the inception of studios for podcasters, Youtubers, and content creators in urban areas, including trading and tourists cities, " he said.
All these freelancers with their skills and talent will not only earn livelihood for themselves and their families, but will also bring precious foreign exchange in the country, he added.
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