Solar Team to live stream from the Australian outback


Newtec, Network Innovations, VRT Sandbox and Pacific Live Media have teamed up to enable the Punch Powertrain Solar Team to live stream from the Australian outback.

18 September 2017 

Satellite will be used to live stream interviews and backhaul action video clips of the Punch Powertrain Solar Team as they compete in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge – a 3,000 km solar car race across the Australian outback from October 8, 2017 to October 12, 2017 – with Newtec, Network Innovations, VRT Sandbox and Pacific Life Media today announcing their collaboration for the event.

“At previous editions of the race, communication with our fans in Belgium was limited to providing small video clips”, said Thierry Garritsen, spokesperson at the Punch Powertrain Solar Team. “Transmission of these clips was a very time-consuming process, as it included driving up to 150 km away to find a broadband connection. This year, we were looking for a solution that allows us to be in live contact with our home base without too much hassle.” Garritsen continued. “Thanks to the IP satellite solution provided by Newtec, Network Innovations, Pacific Live Media and VRT Sandbox, we can now go online and live stream on Facebook from wherever we are, daily. We can take ad hoc questions from our audience, on top of providing additional action clips for delayed viewing.

Network Innovations, a global satellite communications solution integrator, will provide its MAVERICK service, powered by Newtec Dialog®, to the Punch Powertrain Solar Team, enabling the crew to broadcast daily overviews of their journey from Darwin to Adelaide.

The MAVERICK VSAT service is a unique way of delivering satellite communications, offering customers reliable, flexible, customized solutions with higher bandwidth at guaranteed throughputs.

MAVERICK is powered by the Newtec Dialog multiservice platform, which features Newtec’s unique, award-winning, dynamic Mx-DMA® bandwidth allocation technology. Newtec will also be responsible for project management.

VRT Sandbox will provide the technology that allows the Punch Powertrain Solar Team to broadcast a multicam "report of the day" via Facebook Livestream and will support media coverage in the lead-up.

Pacific Live Media, based in Australia, offers a full range of equipment and services to acquire content right across the media spectrum, from live breaking news, to local sports and events. A local Pacific Live Media crew will accompany the Punch Powertrain Solar Team through the Australian desert and assist with all media coverage.

“For events like the solar car world championship, satellite is the only way to deliver the connectivity which enables everyday communication which we now take for granted,” said Hans Masart, Market Director of Broadcast at Newtec. “We are delighted to bring together all the companies taking part to provide a solution which will allow the Punch Powertrain Solar Team to share this unique experience with their fans, friends, families and their partners when it happens, wherever it happens.”

“Working together with Newtec, we have been able to provide a solution which ideally fits the needs of the Punch Powertrain Solar Team, regardless of the remote location of the race,” said John Stoltz, Vice President, Global Enterprise and Media at Network Innovations. “By relying on Network Innovations’ world-spanning hybrid terrestrial/satellite network, including an IP solution such as Newtec Dialog, the crew will benefit from on-demand bandwidth and reliable connectivity, enabling seamless live streaming, as well as any general broadband application.”

“We are honored to be a part of this project and are excited to witness this collaboration come to life at the upcoming Bridgestone World Solar Challenge,” said Karel De Bondt, Open Innovation Manager at VRT Sandbox. “Acting as a matchmaker for the project, VRT Sandbox brought together a team of technology partners that will enable the Belgian Solar Team to produce a daily, live, multicam talk show in the middle of the Australian desert on Facebook and other streaming platforms, using a very small crew and the latest cutting-edge IP over satellite technologies and live streaming solutions.”

“The challenge to deliver the connectivity needed for reliable IP video streaming, especially in this remote environment, is significant. The solution we have designed with our partners gives us the confidence we will succeed, and that we can overcome any challenges along the way,” added Chris Dredge, Managing Director at Pacific Live Media.