Optus on Thursday 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.
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.
Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, CEO, Optus
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.
Ben White, MD, Wholesale, Satellite and Strategy, Optus
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.
