SpaceX Starlink is to undergo trials to provide voice services in regional and remote areas across Australia. The trials are part of a $6 million federal government contract with PwC subsidiary Scyne Advisory, which provides consulting services to the public sector.
The Starlink trials are part of the government’s plan to modernize global telecommunications, according to Innovationaus. The data collected will show the reliability and quality of voice calls, as well as test the impact of weather conditions on telecommunications services provided by satellites in low Earth orbit.
Scyne will conduct the trials from August 2024 to June 2025. The company is responsible for selecting 50 regional and remote test sites, all beyond the reach of the NBN’s fixed line infrastructure. It won the contract following a tender process that began in February.
As part of the LEOSat trials, led by Scyne, NBN Co’s existing fixed wireless and satellite services will be tested alongside Starlink’s LEOSat services for comparison. The data will show how reliable Starlink’s services are and whether they can cover demand. According to the Infrastructure department, Starlink is being used in the technical trials because it is the only commercially available LEOSat service for private users.
As of September 2024, Starlink had 7,000 LEOSats in space and that number is growing. The government has said that other LEOSats or viable services could be included in the trials if they become available. However, the data collection will be independent of industry and is expected to be available from next month.
Communications minister Michelle Rowland said the government is looking forward to receiving the data, which will help inform the delivery of “a more modern and effective universal service framework.”
“The government has been clear it will proceed on a consultative and transparent basis. Stakeholder views on delivery and funding issues will be carefully considered to help inform future decisions on a more modern and fit for purpose framework,” Rowland said.
“The government’s focus is that universal service arrangements continue to deliver for consumers, can be more flexible to accommodate changes, and that we have related funding arrangements for baseline services that are efficient and sustainable.”
In April, the federal government’s LEOSat Taskforce released a report that found LEOSat was well suited to address regional telecommunications market issues in Australia, but that accessibility remained an issue for Indigenous communities.
