Lincolnshire County Council is to buy and install Starlink satellite broadband kit on tenant farms that still have no access to fibre, the BBC reports. The pilot will test whether satellite could be a practical fix for farms and rural businesses stuck with poor connectivity.
The scheme is aimed at tenants of the council-owned County Farms Estate, which covers about 16,500 acres and 149 holdings. The council is now gathering expressions of interest, and the properties taking part have yet to be confirmed.
The costs will be split. The council will pay for the equipment and its installation, while farmers sign up with Starlink directly and pick a plan that suits their business, the council said on its website. In other words, the monthly subscription is down to the tenants.
The pilot was drawn up with the Greater Lincolnshire Forum for Agriculture and Horticulture. It will look at on-farm download and upload speeds, how well the connection copes with British weather, how easy the kit is to install and live with, and what difference it makes to farm productivity.
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Paul Lock, the council’s executive councillor for economy and investment, said: “This pilot will help us see whether satellite broadband could offer a real practical solution for farms and other rural businesses that struggle with poor connectivity.” He added that so much of farming now depends on being connected, from paperwork and accounting to livestock management and everyday communication. “In reality, it’s becoming harder and harder to run a business without good internet access.”
Starlink is operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which has put thousands of satellites into orbit to deliver internet access, including in remote and rural areas. Earlier this month, the service made internet free on the hurricane-hit Hawaiian island of Kauai.
