John Deere, SpaceX Announce Starlink Deal
Deere & Company announced an agreement with SpaceX to provide Starlink network satellite communications (SATCOM) service to farmers. Utilizing the Starlink network, this solution will allow farmers facing rural connectivity challenges to fully leverage precision agriculture technologies.
“The value of connectivity to farmers is broader than any single task or action. Connectivity unlocks vast opportunities that were previously limited or unavailable,” said Aaron Wetzel, VP of production and precision ag production systems.
The SATCOM solution will connect both new and existing machines through satellite internet service and ruggedized satellite terminals. This will enable autonomy, real-time data sharing, remote diagnostics, enhanced self-repair solutions, and machine-to-machine communication, all of which help farmers work more efficiently while minimizing downtime, according to John Deere.
“We are bringing satellite communications service to the farm at scale so farmers with cellular coverage challenges can maximize the value of connectivity to their operations," said Jahmy Hindman, senior VP & CTO.
He adds that the SpaceX partnership "unlocks the John Deere tech stack so every farmer can fully utilize their current precision agriculture technology in addition to the new innovative solutions they will deploy in the future.”
But, by adding a third-party telematics solution into the data ecosystem, many online are wondering who controls the data (and access to it) as it passes through the Starlink system on its way to or from the Operations Center?
John Deere users with those concerns can rest assured that "we don't anticipate any changes there, the customer still controls it," said Mike Kool, senior product manager - connected fleets.
Kool also shared that John Deere has been working on its fleet connectivity project for the last 18-24 months. Starlink's Leo constellation of low-orbit satelittes delivered the "high bandwidth and low latency" performance Deere was seeking.
"This solution fits our customer needs today and it also allows them to grow in the future," said Kool. "The way I like to think about it is we're giving our customers their time back, giving them more time to do the things they love to do. They have a very important job in feeding and clothing the world, and doing so on less arable land today. I believe wholeheartedly this will further unlock the power of our tech stack."
Deere has yet to outline how the new Starlink features will be priced. Kool said those details are still in the works, so stay tuned.
To activate the Starlink solution, John Deere dealers will install a ruggedized Starlink terminal on compatible machines, along with a 4G LTE JDLink modem to connect the machine to the John Deere Operations Center.
The service will initially be available through a limited release in the United States and Brazil starting in the second half of 2024, according to the company.
