• OneWeb and Vocus combine to deliver low earth orbit (LEO) satellite services in Australia.

• Vocus becomes OneWeb’s first distribution partner in Australia, targeting enterprise and government customers in Australia with fibre-like services from the sky.

• First commercial customers are planned for middle of 2022.

OneWeb, the LEO satellite communications company, has welcomed Vocus, Australia’s specialist fibre and network solutions provider, as its first distribution partner in Australia. The partnership will see Vocus deliver OneWeb’s high-speed, low-latency communications services across the country.

Supported by a network of gateways and user terminals, OneWeb’s global connectivity platform will provide high-bandwidth and low-latency connectivity to expand Vocus’s existing connectivity capabilities in and across Australia. The partnership will enable a fibre-like experience to benefit end users, offering network and internet access no matter where customers are, and will showcase Vocus’ technical capabilities as well as its commitment to delivering exceptional experiences.

The partnership will focus on expanding bandwidth for a variety of industries such as government, mining, oil and gas, utilities, construction, and community services. This will serve a range of use cases and benefits, including improving corporate efficiency, health and safety, asset tracking, environmental monitoring, and new operational applications, while also helping remote workers better connect with their families and loved ones back home.

Utilising the power of OneWeb’s network, Vocus will augment its existing GEO satellite or microwave connectivity by adding low-latency LEO satellite services. Through its national high-capacity fibre infrastructure, Vocus delivers connectivity, collaboration, hybrid cloud and data centre solutions to enterprise and government organisations across a wide range of industries, including those in regional or remote locations who previously had limited or no connectivity.

In Australia, Vocus is the leading provider of nbn’s Business Satellite Service, and was recognised by the Communications Alliance’s ACOMMS Awards 2021 with the Australian Space Industry Award.

OneWeb CEO, Neil Masterson, said the partnership was a truly historic moment for OneWeb.

“This is the culmination of months of positive momentum with over 50% of our constellation in the sky, increased investment from our global partners, and the rapid onboarding of new customers. We are incredibly excited to start delivering high-speed, low-latency connectivity, first in the Arctic region, and soon across Australia and the Asia Pacific,”

“Thanks to the Vocus team who have joined us on this journey and are instrumental to making OneWeb’s mission a success,” Mr Masterson said.

Vocus CEO, Kevin Russell, said he was excited by the benefits the partnership will bring to Vocus customers.

“Vocus is very excited by the many advantages that OneWeb’s LEO services with bring to our growing LEO portfolio.”

“Helping to scale and deliver OneWeb’s low latency and telco-grade satellite systems, means we can provide more opportunity for customers to access the high-quality connectivity they need to be successful, particularly in remote and regional operations,” he said.

“It’s great to be playing an important role in bringing this new age of satellite connectivity and services to life for customers,” Mr Russell said.”