Eutelsat OneWeb and Telstra have announced the launch of the largest rollout of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) backhaul in Australia. This deployment follows the agreement made by the two companies in June 2023, as reported by TelecomTalk. This multi-year agreement will enable LEO capacity to be delivered to Telstra's most remote mobile customers across Australia, enhancing their experience when using real-time applications such as voice and video calling.
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Voice Call Testing Using LEO Solution
This milestone follows the successful execution of a voice call using Eutelsat OneWeb's LEO solution, marking the first time a satellite backhaul call has been conducted on a commercial mobile network with guaranteed quality of service in Australia, according to Eutelsat OneWeb.
Benefits for Remote Areas
Over the next 18 months, more than 300 remote mobile base station sites currently using satellite backhaul will be connected to Eutelsat OneWeb's LEO solution. Reportedly, this capacity will enable Telstra to expand mobile coverage as it supports new site deployments.
Eutelsat Group expressed its delight stating, "We are delighted to support Telstra in delivering consistent, leading-edge connectivity to its customers in Australia, regardless of location. 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."
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Telstra said, "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."
"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," Telstra added.
Global Coverage Completion
Australia is one of several markets now fully operational, as Eutelsat OneWeb completes the rollout of its ground segment to enable global coverage.
