Starlink to Receive Major Amazon Award for Expanding Satellite Internet Across the Region
PanAmazonia Association honors Elon Musk’s company for breaking the digital isolation of remote communities
Manaus, Brazil — September 2025 — The PanAmazonia Association will award its prestigious Grand Amazonians Medal to Starlink, the satellite internet venture founded by Elon Musk, in recognition of its role in transforming connectivity in the Brazilian Amazon. The ceremony will take place on September 11 in Manaus during the 13th edition of the Association’s annual awards.
According to the PanAmazonia Association, Starlink’s low-orbit satellite technology now serves more than 90% of municipalities in the Brazilian Amazon, with over 65,000 connections registered by the end of 2023. The service has enabled critical advances in education, healthcare, safety, and economic development in areas previously cut off from reliable internet access.
“Starlink’s work has been a game changer,” said Belisário Arce, founder and executive director of PanAmazonia. “It has drastically improved the lives of Amazonian communities, providing opportunities and dignity where there was once only digital silence.”
Real-World Impact In Itaquera, a remote riverside community along the Rio Negro, residents now use Starlink terminals for telemedicine, online education, and emergency communications. In Careiro da Várzea, a public school gained satellite internet and marked the occasion with a videoconference with Musk himself.
Regional businesses have also benefited. Transport operator Amatur has improved safety and passenger service with onboard internet, while Transportes Bertolini, a leader in river cargo transport, now operates more efficiently after installing Starlink on its vessels.
About the Award The Grand Amazonians Medal honors individuals, companies, and institutions that make significant contributions to the human, social, economic, or cultural development of the Amazon. Previous honorees have included scientists, community leaders, and nationally recognized projects.
Although Musk is not expected to attend due to international commitments, the award will be formally documented and widely publicized.
Founded in 2010, the Manaus-based PanAmazonia Association connects business, academic, and civil society leaders to design lasting solutions for the challenges of the world’s largest tropical rainforest.
