SpaceX Starlink Internet for Pikangikum First Nation: From Dial-Up Speeds to 130Mbps

According to Tesla North, Canada’s Pikangikum First Nation now has full access to Starlink internet, upping the average internet speeds the community had access to from speeds of 60 kbps to a whopping 130 Mbps.

To put that in perspective, 60 kbps is right around what you would get on a dial-up internet connection (yes, the one you had to get your mom off the home telephone for!). On the other hand, 130 Mbps is actually better than what many Internet Service Providers on the ground offer with hard-wired connections.

SpaceX’s Starlink is a constellation of low-orbit satellites designed to provide wireless internet access to users, especially in rural areas. The Starlink beta launched in Canada just last month, receiving stellar reviews from participants.

Along with the service’s launch in Canada, SpaceX and FSET Information Technology announced a partnership to, with the support of the Canadian government, bring high-speed Starlink internet to the remote, fly-in indigenous community of Pikangikum First Nation located some 225 km north of Kenora, Ontario.

FSET was looking for an internet solution for the First Nation community and eventually reached out to SpaceX. Both parties held discussions and eventually after approval, Pikangikum First Nation would become the first Starlink internet client in Canada.

Initial deployment of Starlink equipment began November 26, with the first high-speed Starlink internet connection going live just a mere 15 minutes after the first batch of equipment was flown in–incredible.

Check out the powerful video below:

With the project now complete, high-speed Starlink satellite internet has drastically improved quality of life for members of the community, strengthening their link to the rest of the world and bringing much-needed improvements in education, communication, healthcare, administration, and more.