Telstra and OneWeb Join Forces to Revolutionize LEO Satellite Solutions

Telstra and OneWeb are teaming up to bring a big change to the world of telecommunications. They have exciting plans to introduce a new technology called OneWeb’s low Earth Orbit (LEO) backhaul for commercial mobile networks. This technology will allow for faster and more reliable connections.

Telstra and OneWeb have agreed to upgrade hundreds of remote mobile base stations that currently rely on satellite connections to this advanced LEO solution. This upgrade will happen later this year. Additionally, Telstra plans to use OneWeb’s LEO services in future locations where satellite connections are either the preferred or only practical option. This collaboration marks a significant step towards improving telecommunications for everyone.

This agreement will see up to 25 gigabit per second of capacity over LEO being delivered to Telstra’s most remote mobile sites across Australia, improving the use of real-time applications such as voice and video calling.

Nikos Katinakis, Group Executive of Global Networks and Technology at Telstra, welcomed the agreement as the beginning of a fruitful, long-term partnership with OneWeb. He remarked, “This collaboration enables us to diversify our services for consumers, small businesses, and enterprise customers in rural and regional Australia, particularly those that demand added redundancy during a power or transmission incident. Our primary focus is to leverage the service as a backhaul medium to interconnect remote mobile base stations. In the long run, this partnership also presents us with opportunities to deliver voice and fixed broadband services to regional Australia.”

The alliance with OneWeb promises to augment Telstra’s regional coverage and aligns with the T25 commitment, which aims to deliver an additional 100,000 square kilometres of mobile coverage by the end of FY25. Telstra is also planning to extend the testing program for other use cases, including network backhaul resilience, such as a backup to fixed backhaul for selected critical sites. Furthermore, the partnership opens up possibilities for emerging use cases for business, enterprise, and government customers, including IoT and mobile connectivity for the emergency services agencies, mining, oil and gas sector.

David Thorn, Vice President, APAC at OneWeb, hailed the partnership as a major step forward. He stated, “For the first time in Australia, we’re partnering with a major player like Telstra to deliver OneWeb’s service across an entire continent. This is going to be greatly beneficial for remote users, including consumers, enterprises, and government agencies.”

OneWeb, with its current constellation of more than 630 satellites in orbit, and an aim to have global coverage by the end of the year, anticipates the launch of its services in Australia by mid-year. A worldwide service rollout is also projected to be in place by early 2024.

This partnership plays a crucial role in Telstra’s T25 initiative, which aims to strengthen and expand its network leadership and provide better mobile coverage throughout the country. It highlights the increasing importance of LEO satellite networks in closing the connectivity divide, especially in remote and challenging areas.

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