Starlink has connected 140 remote schools across Brazil's Amazon region to high-speed internet, bringing reliable online access to more than 14,000 students who previously had little to none. The project, carried out in partnership with Brazilian non-profit Redes do Futuro (formerly Instituto Escolas Conectadas) and Associação MegaEdu, represents one of the more tangible examples of satellite internet closing the digital divide in one of the world's most geographically challenging regions.
The story behind the initiative is worth noting. According to reporting from CNN Brasil, the project was spearheaded by 17-year-old Eric Bartunek, who made a direct appeal to SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell in January 2025 to donate Starlink antennas to underserved Amazon communities. The first hardware arrived in November 2025 at the community of Barro Alto in Manicoré, Amazonas, with installations completing across the network by early 2026.
Redes do Futuro General Manager Fernanda Prado noted that the organization has previously helped connect 748 schools across 85 municipalities in Brazil, with 191 schools in the states of Amapá, Amazonas, and Pará having already accessed Starlink connectivity through earlier phases of the program. She also emphasized that the benefits extend beyond classrooms — once a school is connected, the surrounding community gains access as well. For the full scope of SpaceX's satellite and connectivity work, see our SpaceX coverage.
Projects like this are increasingly part of how Starlink justifies its global expansion — not just as a commercial broadband service, but as infrastructure for places traditional ISPs have no economic incentive to reach. With the Amazon's geography making ground-based connectivity nearly impossible in many areas, low-Earth orbit satellites are effectively the only viable solution at scale.
Sources & reporting notes
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- @Starlink on X (2026-05-23T19:22:50.000Z) — Direct source
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