Telstra will consolidate satellite access nodes at hundreds of its sites around Australia, as well as develop and manage connectivity between those sites and several data centers that will hold core networking equipment
FREMONT, CA:Telstra and Viasat have signed upon a 16.5-year arrangement in which the Australian telco will develop and manage ground infrastructure for the Viasat-3 geosynchronous satellite constellation after its launch. Telstra will consolidate satellite access nodes at hundreds of its sites around Australia, as well as develop and manage connectivity between those sites and several data centers that will hold core networking equipment, under the terms of the contract.
When Viasat-3 was first announced, the corporation intended to launch the first satellite in late 2019 or early 2020, but fate and the pandemic conspired to set those plans back. They will start launching the Viasat-3 constellation later in 2022, which is a trio of the highest-capacity commercial geo-satellites ever created. When one compares it to the first-generation satellites, each one delivers more than a terabit per second, total network throughput, which is nearly a thousand times more efficient, Viasat president of space and commercial networks Dave Ryan said on 2 February, 2022.
Stay ahead of the industry with exclusive feature stories on the top companies, expert insights and the latest news delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe today.
When compared to other geos to medium, earth orbit, or lower satellite systems, this terabit class of satellites is genuinely unique and delivers the highest industry bandwidth economics. The first satellite will be launched to service the Americas, followed by two more satellites launched every six months for EMEA and Asia-Pacific. The three should be able to support download speeds of far above 150Mbps.
Despite the fact that Telstra's network is only available in Australia, it will continue to support service outside of the country. They are planning to deploy the vast majority of the equipment to be able to function across the Asia Pacific region in Australia, Ryan told ZDNet. There may be, and probably will be, occasions where certain countries want their own hub, and as they grow out and meet those specific requirements, there may be very limited pieces of equipment that go into other countries.

