John Deere Inks Partnership With SpaceX To Expand Rural Connectivity

John Deere announced this week a partnership with SpaceX to allow their precision agriculture products to connect via satellite.  The deal billed as the first of its kind will allow farmers to install satellite terminals on their equipment and connect through SpaceX’s Starlink system when unable to connect to a cell or other internet signal.  Mike Kool, senior product manager with John Deere’s Connected Fleet, says the service will begin to roll out to John Deere’s equipment in the second half of this year.

Kool says the satellite system, similar to cell modems already in recent John Deere models, is essentially a cell phone for the tractor.

Mike Kool of John Deere says the company selected SpaceX because of the lower latency that comes from their low-earth orbit satellites.  The system will also debut in parts of Brazil later this year.