New ONSAT program aims to connect Ontario's remote communities to high-speed internet by June
The Ontario government, led by Premier Doug Ford, has signed a $100m agreement with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
This partnership aims to provide high-speed internet to remote areas in northern and rural Ontario through the newly introduced ONSAT program, or Ontario Satellite, according to BNN Bloomberg.
Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma stated that the program will use SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet system to connect 15,000 locations, enabling these communities to access high-speed internet for streaming, video calls, online gaming, and other activities common in daily life.
Surma clarified that this initiative targets the province’s hardest-to-reach areas and will launch in June, with registration and eligibility processes beginning in the spring.
The government will cover equipment and installation costs, although monthly fees will be borne by users. “It is an investment of close to $100m,” she said.
SpaceX secured the contract following a “robust and transparent and competitive and fair technical and financial evaluation of multiple qualified parties,” stated Michael Lindsay, CEO of Infrastructure Ontario.
The contract also requires Indigenous “engagement and participation.”
Lindsay emphasized that SpaceX would work closely with Indigenous communities to ensure equal access to the program, alongside creating socio-economic opportunities through employment, contracting, and training initiatives.
Joel Cherkis, who manages business operations for Starlink, highlighted Starlink’s quick installation process.
Recalling the 2020 rollout in Pikangikum First Nation, a remote community accessible only by air or winter ice roads, he explained, “The Starlink team that was working with them found that within 15 minutes of getting the Starlink kit off of the charter flight that arrived at the First Nation, they were able to be online.”
Within that short time, they were successfully connecting users to high-speed broadband.
SpaceX continues to expand its satellite network by launching around 40 satellites each week into low Earth orbit, approximately 550 kilometres above Earth.
Ontario’s investment in Starlink forms part of a $4bn initiative to bring high-speed internet to all regions in the province.
To date, the province has allocated $2.5bn across 270 projects, connecting 100,000 Ontarians to high-speed internet, with plans to connect an additional 450,000 residents.
