The first teleport, located in Darwin Tivendale, is due to begin installation this month with plans to become operational in July. The remaining two sites in Charlton Toowoomba and Wangara in Perth, are due for completion in 2022.
Each site will provide OneWeb’s LEOsatellites with turnkey ground station support. In addition, the three sites are being delivered as part of a previously announced 10-year deal between Telstra and OneWeb. For its part, Telstra will also provide 24/7 monitoring and quality assurance services at each location.
“OneWeb had exacting requirements from the outset, and we worked in close partnership with them from site selection through construction,” said Vish Vishwanathan, vice president of wholesale & satellite, Telstra Americas.
“Teleports are complex sites involving access to secure and resilient infrastructure and on-the-ground expertise, which Telstra has provided to OneWeb throughout this project.”
Traditionally, telcos own and operate terrestrial and subsea assets, including fibre networks, IP backbones and data centres, which provide the ground service required to support satellite operators’ constellations, reduce their costs of entry into new markets and reduce the need for manually maintained network infrastructures.
OneWeb has two-thirds of its constellation launched and is providing coverage above the 50th parallel North, including Alaska, Canada, and the wider Arctic Region.
“Low Earth Orbit satellite technology is transforming the global connectivity landscape, not only by creating new business opportunities, but also giving more businesses, communities and governments the internet access they need for progress,” said Michele Franci, chief of delivery and operations at OneWeb.
“More connectivity options benefit everyone and our approach in establishing strategic partnerships with experienced providers like Telstra is core to how we deliver the OneWeb mission.”
