Starlink is finding a new use case far beyond home internet, this time helping ranchers manage cattle herds from virtually anywhere without the need for traditional infrastructure.
A New Zealand agri-tech company is leveraging SpaceX’s Starlink network to transform how livestock operations are run, replacing decades-old tools with a fully connected, satellite-powered system.
Halter has integrated Starlink Mobile into its solar-powered GPS cattle collars. The system allows ranchers to monitor and control herds using virtual fencing and audio cues, all managed through a smartphone app. Instead of relying on physical fences or limited-range radio systems, farmers can now guide livestock remotely with precision.
The biggest change comes from how the collars stay connected. Traditional systems often depend on custom-built radio towers that can cost upwards of NZ$4,500 (C$3,500/US$2,600) and only cover a limited area, typically around five miles.
By switching to Starlink’s satellite network, those constraints effectively disappear, allowing cattle to graze anywhere with a clear view of the sky.
That shift has major implications for scalability. According to Halter’s internal modeling, using satellite connectivity expands the addressable U.S. beef cattle market by approximately 2.5 times, simply by removing coverage limitations. Areas that were previously impractical due to lack of connectivity can now support digitally managed operations.
The service is already rolling out across the United States and New Zealand, with plans to expand into Australia and Canada in the near future. Pricing is also designed to scale with herd size, coming in at roughly NZ$9 (C$7/US$5) per animal per month, making it viable for both smaller operations and large commercial ranches.
For SpaceX, this represents another example of how Starlink is evolving beyond its original mission of providing broadband internet to underserved regions. The company has increasingly pushed into mobile and industrial applications, from maritime and aviation connectivity to remote industrial operations—and now agriculture.
Jeff Ahmet, Global Partners Director at SpaceX, highlighted the broader significance of the partnership, saying, “This is the exact kind of Starlink Mobile innovation that changes industries. We’re moving past the era of ‘dead zones’ and into an era of total connectivity for every acre on Earth.”
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