Telstra announces satellite internet service to rival Sky Muster and Elon Musk’s StarLink

According to Telstra, their mobile network already reaches 99.5 percent of Australia's population. Now they're setting their sights on the final frontier to go even further.

Telstra has announced plans to expand from traditional broadband internet into the satellite NBN game. According to a press release from the 2nd of March, they’ll be partnering with OneWeb, a global satellite operation which already operates satellite internet over parts of Europe and Asia. 

Together the companies plan to launch their own satellite broadband service, in competition with the NBN Co’s Sky Muster, and Elon Musk’s Starlink venture.

Telstra's plan is to make satellite broadband more convenient, affordable and reliable for rural Australians. Access to stable internet connection continues to be a problem for stretches of the country. 

By providing another option in the market, Telstra hopes that the competition will be able to bring down prices and increase speeds in the outback.

Making satellite internet reliable

Delivering high speed, reliable satellite broadband in the country hasn’t been the easiest task. Starlink has suffered from complaints of poor service, while Sky Muster has sometimes suffered from network congestion in remote areas. Telstra is hoping that their experience in the Australian telco industry will combine with OneWeb’s satellite expertise to iron out some of those wrinkles.

The London-based communications company OneWeb currently operates a network of 428 low Earth orbit satellites. It’s hoping that by the end of 2022, the company’s global coverage will be complete, bringing internet connectivity to the furthest corners of Australia and the Asia-pacific at large.

OneWeb and Telstra will continue to work together to finalise the detailed scope of the agreement. This means it may be a little while longer before these plans hit the market. 

In the meantime, you can check out Mozo’s tool to compare satellite NBN plans.