Starlink Dishes Spotted on BC Ferries as Crew Wi-Fi Testing Begins

A photo posted on Reddit shows Starlink high-performance dishes installed on a BC Ferries vessel, the first visible sign the British Columbia, Canada ferry operator’s satellite internet rollout for crews is underway.

Reddit user panuvic shared the image in r/bcferries on September 18, showing the vessel’s mast with its large traditional satcom dome and flat rectangular antennas mounted on the railings to either side. That hardware appears to be Starlink’s Flat High Performance dishes, built for in-motion and maritime use. Panuvic captioned the photo “but only for the crew for now,” and commenters agreed the connection is for staff rather than passengers, with one noting there is no plan to offer internet service to the public.

Image credit: panuvic

In December 2024, BC Ferries announced it was teaming up with Starlink to bring Wi-Fi to ferry crews at sea. At a Greater Vancouver Board of Trade event, CEO Nicolas Jimenez said serving 30 to 40 crew members is very different from serving up to 1,400 passengers, and the company did not want to reintroduce internet if it would raise ticket prices, as reported by CHEK News. Passenger Wi-Fi was discontinued in 2021 after the system, which launched in 2010, became overwhelmed, and the focus has stayed on testing Starlink for crew use first.

Starlink connectivity is already common on cruise ships, and Alaska’s MV Columbia ferry went further by launching free Starlink Wi-Fi for both passengers and crew. Starlink keeps growing on land as well, with Starlink recently expanding free Mini rentals to more residential customers and partnering with Mobicom to connect regular phones to satellites across Mongolia.

It’s unclear if the busiest BC Ferries route, between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen, will get Starlink.