The launch follows the signing of a multi-year agreement last year between the two that will enable LEO capacity delivered to Telstra’s remote mobile customers across Australia when using real-time applications such as voice and video calling.
“We are delighted to support Telstra in delivering consistent, leading-edge connectivity to its customers in Australia, regardless of location,” said Cyril Dujardin, co-general manager of Eutelsat Group’s Connectivity Business Unit.
“We are honoured to count Telstra among our most trusted partners, with whom we will continue to collaborate to test and deploy current and future technology.”
The collaboration follows a successful voice call on-air using Eutelsat OneWeb’s LEO solution, the first satellite-based backhaul call conducted on a commercial mobile network in Australia.
Through this latest project, more than 300 remote mobile base station sites currently using satellite backhaul will be connected to Eutelsat OneWeb’s LEO solution over the next 18 months, enabling Telstra to expand mobile coverage as it supports new site deployments.
“Eutelsat OneWeb’s LEO solution will help us improve the customer experience in regional and remote areas with lower latency, higher speeds, and a more consistent experience,” added Iskra Nikolova, network and technology executive, Telstra.
“There’s also potential for OneWeb, as a backup backhaul solution, to improve reliability in areas where terrestrial backhaul is susceptible to natural disasters, and where communities find themselves in isolation to have a LEO backhaul that guarantees that level of quality service.”
Australia is one of several markets now fully operational, as Eutelsat OneWeb completes the roll-out of its ground segment to enable global coverage.
