Lincolnshire County Council trials Starlink broadband for rural farms

The Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) in England has launched a new pilot project that aims to address rural broadband “not spots” across the agricultural sector by helping farms deploy Starlink’s satellite based broadband service. If found to be successful, the initiative could be rolled out “across the county” to farms where fibre-based solutions are unlikely to be delivered in the near future.

Starlink currently has around 11,140 satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) – mostly at altitudes of between c.340-550km. Residential users in the UK usually pay from £40 a month for the 100Mbps unlimited data plan, which also promises uploads of c.15-35Mbps and low latency connectivity (c.20ms). Faster packages exist at greater cost, while more restrictive (data capped) options are available for roaming (e.g. £55pm for 100GB of data).

At this point a question arises, if farmers can already purchase Starlink directly then what does LCC’s pilot bring to the table? In short, the pilot will see the council fund the purchase and help to install Starlink facilities on properties without fibre broadband across the council’s County Farms estate. Farmers would then contract directly with Starlink for a subscription package and pay for that part themselves.

The above is interesting because Starlink’s residential package currently bundles the hardware for free (although you do have to return the kit if you cancel), although a professional installation would set you back £75 but is not strictly necessary. But farms can be a mix of residential and business, so it’s possible the council may be looking more at Starlink’s business plans, which start at at £30/m with a hardware cost of £299.

As part of the pilot, the county council will look to evaluate:

• satellite broadband reliability and resilience in rural areas.
• download and upload speeds achieved on participating farms.
• ease of installation and ongoing operation.
• the impact improved connectivity could have on farm businesses.
• the viability of satellite broadband as a wider solution for farms and rural properties across Lincolnshire.

Cllr Paul Lock, Executive Councillor for Economy and Investment, said:

“A lack of reliable broadband is a real issue for many rural businesses, especially farms. Today, so much farming depends on being connected, from paperwork and accounting to livestock management, or simply everyday communication.

In reality, it’s becoming harder and harder to run a business without good internet access. 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.”

The LCC is now working with the County Farms estate to gather expressions of interest in the pilot to help assess the benefits and performance of the technology.