Photo: Government of South Australia

Australian telecommunications provider Telstra has a new deal with SpaceX to offer voice-only and voice plus broadband Starlink services to rural and remote customers in Australia. Telstra said in a July 3 announcement that it has been testing the Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite technology. 

“We know that collaborating with the right partners is one of the best ways to help unlock a digital future, in this case for people in rural and remote Australia looking for an improved voice or broadband service,” commented Telstra CEO Vicki Brady. “What will set our offer apart is the addition of Telstra voice service, a professional install option and the ability to get local help with your set up if needed.”

The company said it will announce pricing and device details closer to the service launch later this year. The agreement will also provide connectivity options for business customers in Australia and overseas, as a higher bandwidth business grade option in areas without fixed and mobile connectivity. 

Telstra provides ground infrastructure for Viasat, and recently announced a large rollout with OneWeb for LEO backhaul for its commercial mobile network.