New program permits connection of Approved Non-Premises Locations to the nbn™ access network NBN Co today announced the launch of business-grade wholesale satellite services to help meet the increasing needs of medium or large businesses, enterprise and government users across regional and remote Australia.

Sectors in regional and remote areas such as mining and resources, oil and gas, emergency services, forestry, construction, education, agriculture, tourism and health are increasing their demand for connectivity to support digital business needs. Research undertaken by Telsyte, commissioned by NBN Co, estimates that Australian businesses using satellite services are expected to grow by more than 30 per cent by 2021.

The research also shows that businesses in regional and remote Australia are increasingly using cloud storage, video conferencing, e-commerce, real-time sensors, and monitoring systems. Telsyte’s research predicts that satellite connectivity will help drive a surge in the average number of connected business IoT and devices which are estimated to double per remote site, from 39 to 82 devices by 2021.

Initial business nbn™ Satellite Service products will focus on remote business requirements for high-data internet access and IoT, with an additional product—Access Bandwidth Service—to launch next year. The Access Bandwidth Service seeks to provide committed wholesale speeds that are essential for critical applications required by large enterprise and government customers.¹

All business nbn™ Satellite Service offerings are planned to provide a number of configurable options and a choice of three service assurance levels managed through business nbn’s Satellite Operations Centre.

The business-grade products launched today include the Virtual ISP (VISP) solution designed for businesses with high-data consumption needs and an Internet of Things (IoT) solution that can be used to enable connectivity of

infrastructure or devices in remote ‘non-addressable’ locations, such as water pumps. ²

NBN Co’s Chief Development Officer, Regional & Remote, Gavin Williams:

“Industrial enterprises and other organisations across regional and remote Australia have increasing demand for business-grade connectivity to support the digital tools that underpin their operations and support their growth.

The business nbn™ Satellite Service is a step-change designed to raise digital capability for a wide range of businesses across the country, connecting them to cloud systems, centralised operations and branch networks in places that have previously had little or no connectivity option.²

Regional and remote businesses in areas as diverse as mining and resources, tourism, agribusiness and health, now have access to a range of customisable wholesale options from nbn designed to meet their needs, regardless of how far they are from town.”

¹ nbn provides wholesale services to phone and internet providers. nbn™ wholesale speed tiers available to providers vary depending on the business nbn™ Satellite Service product selected. An end customer’s experience using the business nbn™ Satellite Service, including speeds and other performance characteristics, depend on a range of factors, such as the latency limitations inherent in satellite communications, the particular product and product features that have been selected by the service provider, the configuration of the products and product features being delivered, the time of usage in relation to certain internet-based access products, and other factors outside of nbn’s control (like their equipment quality, software, chosen broadband plan, signal reception, or how their service provider designs its network).

² An end customer’s experience using the business nbn™ Satellite Service, including speeds and other performance characteristics, depend on a range of factors, such as the latency limitations inherent in satellite communications, the particular product and product features that have been selected by the service provider, the configuration of the products and product features being delivered, the time of usage in relation to certain internet-based access products, and other factors outside of nbn’s control (like their equipment quality, software, chosen broadband plan, signal reception, or how their service provider designs its network).