Premier Doug Ford’s government has signed a $100-million deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to deliver high-speed internet to remote residents in rural and northern Ontario.

Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma says the new so-called ONSAT program will bring SpaceX’s Starlink high-speed satellite internet system to 15,000 premises.

She says the service will be used to connect people in the hardest-to-reach areas of the province to the internet.

Surma says the system will go live next summer and the investment covers equipment and installation costs, but not monthly fees.

The province has invested $2.5 billion on 270 projects to connect 550,000 Ontarians to high-speed internet.

Infrastructure Ontario says SpaceX won out over multiple other bids.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.

Liam Casey, The Canadian Press