Starlink inks deal to connect schools across 85 Bolivian municipalities
Bolivia will supply free Starlink antennas and 24 months of service to schools in 85 La Paz municipalities under its Aula Conectada program.
what happened
Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz signed agreements on October 20 bringing Starlink satellite internet to public schools in all 85 municipalities of La Paz department, the first deployment phase of the government's Aula Conectada (Connected Classroom) program, per the Rio Times and Latin Times. The government has secured between 4,500 and 4,700 antennas for public educational institutions, covering installation and 24 months of free service; municipalities take on the recurring costs after that period, with a pilot running through 2027 and full national rollout planned for 2027-2030.
why it matters
The deal extends Starlink's reach in a market it entered commercially only in February 2026, where it had already reached roughly 40,000 active connections by May; a government-backed schools rollout at this scale gives Starlink a foothold with Bolivia's state telecom partners ahead of a planned expansion to Cochabamba, Santa Cruz and the rest of the country through 2030.
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- SpaceX
- Category
- procurement
- Impact
- notable
- SNR
- 4 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-10-20
- Published
- 2026-10-24 21:23 UTC