UK to deploy Elon Musk’s Starlink in first take a look at of satellite tv for pc for rural connectivity

The UK will start trialling Elon Musk’s Starlink know-how in its first take a look at of web-linked satellites to assist meet the federal government’s ambition of offering ultrafast web to all properties throughout the nation.

The primary Starlink satellites shall be deployed to supply connectivity to a couple particular remoted websites, together with a Twelfth-century abbey within the North York Moors Nationwide Park, and rescue operations within the Lake District and Snowdonia Nationwide Park, based on a authorities announcement on Wednesday.

The federal government has opted to make use of Starlink, a satellite tv for pc constellation operated by the billionaire entrepreneur’s SpaceX firm, as an alternative of the British satellite tv for pc broadband pioneer OneWeb, which it rescued from chapter in 2020 with a controversial $500mn funding.

As governments around the globe grapple with tips on how to present ultrafast broadband connectivity to their populations in rural and geographically exhausting to achieve locations, a number of have opted to deploy satellites as an alternative of constructing the expensive funding to increase their terrestrial fibre networks.

Starlink was chosen primarily for its availability and low price, the federal government stated, though it added that it had not closed the door on utilizing different suppliers and distributors, together with OneWeb, in future satellite tv for pc trials.

The announcement is an early indication that prime minister Rishi Sunak’s authorities is wanting critically at methods to enhance entry to quick and dependable web to sort out the digital divide, and attain its purpose of delivering gigabit-capable broadband infrastructure to 99 per cent of premises by 2030.

“Excessive-speed broadband beamed to earth from area could possibly be the reply to the connectivity points suffered by folks in premises caught within the digital gradual lane,” stated digital secretary Michelle Donelan.

“Guaranteeing everybody can get a high quality web connection is essential to our levelling-up plans and these trials goal to discover a answer to the prohibitively excessive price of rolling out cables to far-flung areas.”

The Conservative authorities has put aside £5bn as a part of its Undertaking Gigabit subsidy programme launched final yr to achieve the ultimate 20 per cent of the UK with out entry to ultrafast broadband, however has come beneath criticism from trade for failing to deploy the vast majority of the capital.

The federal government additionally introduced on Wednesday that it had awarded its largest Undertaking Gigabit contract up to now, which can present £108mn to Northern-Eire primarily based fibre supplier Fibrus to attach as much as 60,000 rural premises in Cumbria to gigabit broadband.

As soon as the Starlink pilots are full, the federal government stated it could assess the viability of utilizing satellite tv for pc know-how to attach all distant properties and companies throughout the UK, together with these in excessive areas equivalent to mountainous areas or small islands.

Starlink and OneWeb are two of solely a handful of firms working high-speed communication providers from Low Earth Orbit, the place satellites journey across the globe at an altitude of between 550km and 1,000km.

Starlink and OneWeb have been contacted for remark.