John Deere announces partnership with SpaceX to expand rural connectivity

John Deere has announced it is entering into an agreement with SpaceX to provide satellite communications service to farmers through the Starlink network.

This solution will allow farmers facing rural connectivity challenges to fully leverage precision agriculture technologies. According to John Deere, it will allow customers to be more productive, profitable, and sustainable in their operations as they continue to provide food, fuel, and fiber for their communities and a growing global population.

Aaron Wetzel, vice president of Production and Precision Ag Production Systems at John Deere says the value of connectivity to farmers is broader than any single task or action.

“Connectivity unlocks vast opportunities that were previously limited or unavailable,” he explains. “For example, throughout the year, farmers must complete tasks within extremely short windows of time. This requires executing incredibly precise production steps while coordinating between machines and managing machine performance. Each of these areas are enhanced through connectivity, making the entire operation more efficient, effective, and profitable.”

The SATCOM solution will connect both new and existing machines through satellite internet service and satellite terminals. This will fully enable technologies such as autonomy, real-time data sharing, remote diagnostics, enhanced self-repair solutions, and machine-to-machine communication. This, says John Dere, will help farmers work more efficiently while minimizing downtime.

John Deere’s SATCOM solution will leverage SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet constellation. To activate this solution, John Deere dealers will install a rugged Starlink terminal on compatible machines, along with a 4G LTE JDLink modem to connect the machine to the John Deere Operations Center.

The SATCOM solution will initially be available through a limited released in the United States and Brazil starting in the second half of 2024.