Internet service can vary in rural Saskatchewan from decent to very poor.

Provincial companies like SaskTel and Access Communications are improving their networks—but it is a slow and expensive process.

Starlink—started by Elon Musk—has been getting good results from a relatively small number of provincial customers who have been accepted for testing the product, which operates via an extensive global satellite network.

There was a question-and-answer session following a broadband internet panel at the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) annual convention last week in Regina.

A representative from the RM of Mervin #499 wondered how SaskTel and Access Communications would be able to compete with Starlink. She said the upload and download speeds were excellent.

Daryl Godfrey, SaskTel’s Chief Technology Officer, said he sees Starlink as a complement to reach remote areas that cannot be easily accessed by fibre.

Wade Peterson, a manager with Access Communications, said they have worked with a Denver-based company called Cable Labs. It has analyzed Starlink performance in our province and found that after 1,000 customers download and upload speeds will slow down.

You can hear the five-minute exchange in the audio clip below.