Starlink high-speed internet comes to Pitcairn

Andrea Vance - 05:00 - Nov 23 2022

Stargazing on Pitcairn – the world’s only island dark sky sanctuary – has taken on a new meaning, with a bright new mega-constellation beaming internet to residents.

A tiny fleck of volcanic cliff jutting out of the vast Pacific Ocean, the island is about as far removed from the modern world as you could get. 

Streaming Netflix or video-chatting was almost impossible. Officials had to ‘turn off’ the internet to the rest of the island to get enough bandwidth to run court hearings by video-conferencing.

But now isolated Pitkerners are now able to hook up to Elon Musk's Starlink project – a massive satellite network which provides high-speed internet.

It was the ultimate test for the billionaire’s SpaceX company – with infrastructure engineers unsure whether the cutting edge technology would work well in the British overseas territory, which is 5333km from Wellington.

The project came about when a British High Commission staffer in New Zealand filled in a customer satisfaction survey, and mentioned Pitcairn’s connectivity problems in the comments.

It provided the perfect opportunity for Starlink to put new laser links, designed to increase coverage to isolated spots, like Antarctica, to the ultimate test.

Previously, coverage was only available within a few hundred miles of a SpaceX ground station, because a satellite had to be able to ‘talk’ to a dish and the station at the same time.

Now, if the satellite can’t reach a ground station, it will connect to another satellite, passing data back and forth. This increases internet speeds and reduces latency.

Pitcairn was a good way to evaluate if the new technology was reliable over great distances.

The equipment was shipped, free of charge, to Adamstown, the island’s capital, on the supply ship Silver Supporter.

The dish must have a clear view of the sky – easy on Pitcairn which is an international dark sky sanctuary.

Islanders were able to install and orientate the terminals themselves and the system is now up and running.

Presently, all the island’s homes have internet provided by satellite, but it is costly and speeds are slow.

Adamstown

For now, Starlink is free to the islanders. It is expected to boost trade – the islanders rely on an income from exporting locally produced honey, dried fruit, soap, coffee, art and souvenirs, sold online and to passing cruise ships.

Pitcairn is also building a research centre for scientists visiting its marine sanctuary, who will also benefit from the new tech.

Alasdair Hamilton, Deputy Governor of the Pitcairn Islands, said being able to connect easily with the outside world is vital for such a remote community. 

“However, at present Pitcairn’s internet is slow and unreliable, which impedes the efficient running of government and the ability of islanders to make the most from e-commerce. 

“The Starlink trial is a welcome step towards making the Pitcairn Islands less isolated. Fast and reliable Internet will make a huge difference to island life when eventually adopted in full.”

Starlink helped reconnect Tonga after a volcanic eruption and tsunami in January severed the island nation’s sole fibre-optic cable.