Louisiana authorities have reached an agreement with SpaceX to connect 10,635 locations to Starlink in areas where laying fibre is technically difficult or economically impractical.
The project will cover more than 50 parishes across the US state. Connections are expected to be completed by the end of summer 2026.
The satellite network will supplement Louisiana’s broadband expansion programme. Authorities intend to serve about 98–99% of locations with conventional fibre, while using Starlink for the remaining hard-to-reach sites.
The connected locations are expected to receive download speeds of at least 100 Mbps and upload speeds of at least 20 Mbps. The service is intended to support remote learning, telemedicine and other digital services.
Officials also considered Starlink’s use after natural disasters when selecting the satellite option. The system can maintain communications where ground infrastructure has been damaged or is unavailable.
The work is being carried out under the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment programme, which aims to expand high-speed internet access in underserved parts of the United States.
