Nokia, Starlink, Speedcast collaborate to drive private networks in Brazil

SC CapRock, the local subsidiary of communications and IT services provider Speedcast, has signed a global agreement for the sale of Starlink’s corporate services, agreeing with Nokia to implement LTE private wireless networks.

Speedcast has a track record of delivering communications and IT services to the maritime, energy, mining, media, telecom, cruise, NGO, government and enterprise sectors.

In 2020, Speedcast announced a long-term agreement with Nokia to deploy its private wireless network technology for mining and energy enterprise customers, combining the power of the Nokia DAC with its satellite connectivity to expand the company’s internet of things portfolio.

SC CapRock and Nokia have already implemented an LTE private wireless network for Origem Energia to connect its natural gas plants and associated energy wells in the municipalities of Alagoas and Bahia.

The collaboration will see Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC), an edge 4.9G/LTE and 5G private wireless offering, integrated with the Starlink service.

This agreement will enable the expansion of connectivity using private wireless networks in remote areas or yet-to-be-covered regions, through Starlink’s low-orbit satellites, providing the connectivity link back to the Nokia service.

With the incorporation of Starlink, customers can expand coverage to remote areas by deploying portable radio base stations and using its satellite network as a backhaul link to carry the data from the BTS back to a DAC private wireless core already deployed at a site.

This approach is said to decrease complexity for small remote sites as it reduces the need to install a new private wireless core, new towers and energy systems.

“This agreement is focused on mission-critical applications in remote locations in Brazil that are not yet served,” said André Gustavo Sant’Anna, country manager for SC CapRock in Brazil.

“With low-latency (down to 100ms) between the 4G/LTE radio base stations and the private wireless core, Nokia DAC can operate using Starlink to expand coverage or create 4G coverage bubbles for our customers in remote areas,” he said.

“There is growing demand from the agribusiness, energy and mining sectors for private wireless networks, and the recent global agreement with Starlink will help us provide high-speed, low-latency connectivity to these customers, with high levels of performance and operational efficiency.”

Marcelo Entreconti, head of enterprise for Latin America at Nokia, added: “We’re happy to partner with SC CapRock in this initiative, providing Nokia’s leading-edge private wireless solutions to accelerate digital transformation throughout enterprises in Brazil, enhancing productivity, safety and efficiency with secure and reliable connectivity.”