PTA issues VPN licenses to three companies, urges others to comply

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has so far issued class licenses for virtual private network (VPN) services to three companies.

According to the PTA spokesperson, companies providing VPN services without a license must immediately obtain the required license.

The purpose of issuing licenses for VPN services is to ensure implementation of the existing regulatory framework so that transparency and compliance with the law can be achieved in the use of services.

In this regard, PTA says that obtaining licenses in a timely manner will help companies avoid service disruptions and will enable them to provide secure and stable VPN services to users without any disruption.

Earlier, Federal Minister for Information Technology (IT) Shaza Fatima Khawaja has said that American satellite internet company Starlink will launch its services in Pakistan by November or December this year.

Briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication on Monday, the federal minister said that the government is providing a license to Starlink, but there are still a few stages of the licensing process that the company is currently going through.

In this regard, Starlink first obtained registration from the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, after which the company also registered with the Space Activities Regulatory Board.

Moreover, Starlink is also in talks to determine the pricing of its services, and the price of internet packages in Pakistan will be determined after the final pricing.