Starlink will help bring these 3 rural Alberta communities online

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023, and viewed over the Banana River from Merritt Island, Fla.. The rocket is carrying 23 Starlink satellites and is the 60th orbital launch of 2023 from Brevard County. (Malcolm Denemark/Florida Today via AP)

A satellite-based connection will be the basis for a pilot program aimed to bring high-speed Internet to three rural Alberta communities, the province said Thursday.

From now until March 31, 2024, residents and business owners in the County of Forty Mile, County of Warner No. 5 and Cardston County can apply to be part of a program that will test the capabilities of using Starlink as a way to bring high-speed Internet access to under-served communities.

"Advancing satellite internet technology in Alberta is an important milestone and an innovative way to achieve our goal of universal connectivity by 2027," said Alberta's Minister of Technology and Innovation Nate Glubish in a statement.

"Today, connectivity is everything and Alberta's government is proud to provide rural Alberta with another option to eliminate the connectivity gap."

Starlink is touted as the world's first and largest satellite network that uses a low-Earth orbit to provide broadband Internet services anywhere in the world.

The first batch of 60 satellites were launched in May 2019 using SpaceX rockets.

Hardware is required to be installed in homes and businesses to access the service but the province says rebates of up to $1,000 are being extended to Albertans who are eligible for the pilot program.

It is limited to households and businesses in areas "where land-based Internet infrastructure is not yet possible."

The data collected from the pilot will be used to help direct future efforts to bring high-speed access to other rural Alberta communities.

Full details on Alberta's pilot program can be found here.