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Ontario’s decision to kill a Starlink contract will result in the Canadian province missing a deadline to deliver high-speed internet to residents by year’s end.
In March, Ontario Premier Doug Ford terminated a $100 million Starlink contract in response to President Trump’s tariffs on Canada and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s close ties with the US president. But as some feared, the decision is forcing the Ontario government to push back its broadband goals for rural and remote areas, which were set to receive subsidized access to SpaceX’s satellite internet system.
The goal was to roll out high-speed broadband access in Ontario by the end of 2025. However, Global News reports that it has now been pushed to 2028, given the termination of the Starlink contract and construction delays on other projects.
The Starlink contract was intended to serve 15,000 underserved homes and businesses by covering the cost of dish hardware, installation fees for eligible residents, and reserving network capacity. This included providing high-speed internet to Indigenous communities in remote areas. Although other satellite providers exist, Starlink has shown itself to be the fastest, with download rates that can reach as high as 400Mbps and low latency.
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The Ontario government didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. For now, it has only said: “We will continue to explore all viable options and technologies, including fiber, fixed wireless, and satellite, to meet this goal.”
A few third-party satellite dish installers in Canada told PCMag that the ongoing trade spat threatens to cut off consumers from badly needed high-speed broadband. That said, SpaceX has been offering Starlink discounts in Canada, including providing satellite dish hardware to subscribers as a complimentary rental.
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About Our Expert
Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
Experience
I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how President Trump’s tariffs will affect the industry. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.