John Deere partners with SpaceX to connect machines via Starlink

John Deere

John Deere announced a partnership with SpaceX to provide Starlink satellite connectivity to farming equipment in rural areas lacking Wi-Fi coverage. Dealers would install a rugged Starlink terminal plus JDLink modem on machines, enabling autonomy, data sharing and remote diagnostics for about 30% of U.S. rural areas and over 70% of Brazilian farmland without adequate connectivity; a limited release in the U.S. and Brazil was planned for H2 2024.

• Coverage: about 30% of U.S. rural areas and over 70% of Brazilian farmland lack sufficient Wi-Fi connectivity
• Installation: Starlink terminal and JDLink modem enable machine connection to Operations Center for autonomy, data and diagnostics
• Timeline: limited release planned for second half of 2024 in U.S. and Brazil
• Enabling: fully leverages precision agriculture technologies for farmers in connectivity-challenged regions