Optus set to launch
game-changing new satellite in 2023
Optus announced a giant leap in its
satellite business, confirming a contract with Airbus
Defence and Space for a brand new, OneSat
software-defined satellite, Optus 11, to be deployed for
Australia and New Zealand in 2023 at the current Optus
D1 orbital location of 160°East.
Optus has entered into a revised
agreement with Sky New Zealand which will be the
cornerstone customer leveraging the new satellite.
Optus will be the first satellite
operator in Asia Pacific to launch a software-defined
satellite that can provide both flexible concurrent
broadcast and broadband services via a very high
throughput satellite (VHTS) design.
The game-changing satellite is
fully configurable in space, meaning its location,
coverage, bandwidth and capacity can be changed in orbit
as customer demands evolve – where traditional
satellites are limited by on-ground configurations that
cannot be altered after launch.
Optus Chief Executive Officer,
Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said: “Today's exciting news is a
testament to Optus’s commitment to invest in
cutting-edge next generation technology to enhance our
world-class communication networks.
Optus 11 cements our scale and leadership in the
trans-Tasman satellite industry, and will enable us to
provide unique, flexible services and customer
experiences tailored to our customers’ needs.”
Optus Managing Director, Wholesale,
Satellite and Strategy, Ben White said: “Optus 11’s
software-defined technology marks a paradigm shift in
how satellite communication will be delivered across
Australia and New Zealand and it will offer unparalleled
flexibility for our satellite customers. Telecom markets
don’t stand still and the ability to re-configure
payloads in-orbit is a game-changer. It allows us to
adapt to shifting business landscapes and tailor the
delivery of services and capacity through dynamic
beam-forming technologies.”
Sitting 36,000km above Earth, Optus
11 is also able to host a satellite-based augmentation
system (SBAS) payload – which has the ability to greatly
enhance the accuracy and precision of existing GPS and
positioning systems across the ANZ region and pinpoint a
location to within a decimetre, without the need for
mobile or internet coverage.
Optus 11 will join five other Optus
satellites in orbit and expands Optus’ geo-stationary
satellite fleet to become the largest in the company’s
and Australia’s history.
Mr White added: “Optus 11 will add
capacity and resilience to our satellite fleet and its
unique capabilities will give our broadcast customers
the option to tailor their dynamic video delivery via IP
streaming, and our broadband customers can benefit from
better performance and higher individual throughputs. In
addition, it will support the Optus mobile network using
satellite backhaul and the Government’s Mobile Black
Spot Programs (MBSP).
“The spacecraft’s ground-breaking
design is a very exciting development and
software-defined satellites will become the future of
this industry. We look forward to bringing this new,
world-leading technology to Australia and New Zealand
and continuing to support Australian jobs in the Space
industry.”
Optus will be the first operator in
the world to utilise the Ku band (11-14GHz) spectrum for
the software defined VHTS in both broadcast and
broadband services. Optus 11 will also provide greater
coverage than our previous satellites, with a reach from
Antarctica to the Cocos Islands and covering a vast
majority of the Pacific region. It will have the ability
to cover oceans previously out of reach to Optus and
provide tracking spot beams coverage to planes and
vessels anywhere within the Optus 11 footprint.
Optus provides satellite services
to Australia and NZ Government departments, companies
and broadcasters including Foxtel, ABC, SBS, Seven
Network, regional broadcasters such as Imparja
Television, Sky New Zealand and Kordia, in addition to
services in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica.
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