Telstra goes to new heights to improve Norfolk Island connectivity

Set in the expanse of the Pacific Ocean, Norfolk Island is regarded as a remote paradise, but lacked greatly in terms of connectivity.

However, this is set to change with Telstra International’s “transformative upgrade” to telecommunications infrastructure on the island through use of geostationary (GEO) satellite capacity provided by Intelsat and medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite capacity provided by SES.

Telstra’s managed internet solution for Norfolk Island Regional Council was made possible by a $7.35m investment from the Australian Government. It is designed to ensure a high-availability solution that delivers low latency and high throughput, addressing the long-standing connectivity challenges faced by the community.

At almost 1,500 kilometres from the Australian mainland, Norfolk Island has always had challenges staying connected. Slow internet speeds and limited mobile phone services aren’t uncommon.

And in an age of interconnected-everything where school, work, government services and more are all online, Telstra said it wanted to make sure that the 2,221 residents of Norfolk Island could stay connected to more reliable internet.

For its part, the Australian government believes that use of satellites to transmit data between networks in remote locations is vital to helping close the country’s digital divide, increasing access to reliable and more resilient connectivity.

“We’re committed to boosting the resilience of communication networks in our external territories, which is why we invested $7.35m towards this faster and more reliable satellite internet service on Norfolk Island,” said federal minister for territories Kristy McBain.

“We need fast and reliable connectivity to run our businesses, to access education and health services, and to keep in touch with family and friends, which is why this upgraded satellite service will make a huge impact on Norfolk Island.”

Specifically, the satellite internet service has already quadrupled Norfolk Island’s internet capacity, marking a crucial step in bridging the digital divide. This upgraded connectivity is seen as principally greatly improving online learning opportunities and medical services for the community, transforming daily life on the island.

Telstra noted that while mainland schools take their speedy bandwidth for granted, the Norfolk Island Central School in particular badly needed this upgrade. The island school now sees typical download speeds of 250Mbps download and 50Mbps upload during school hours, which is regarded as invaluable for modern learning.

Students can participate in virtual lessons and collaborate on projects with classmates and peers from around the world. When school isn’t in session, the bandwidth surplus goes to residential users so they can get the speed they need.

Explaining the deployment and its challenges, Roary Stasko, CEO of Telstra International, said: “[This is] a highly resilient satellite service powered by MEO satellites and some GEO satellites. But it’s more complicated than just pointing a dish at the sky and plugging in a cable.

“Large equipment needed to be shipped to the remote island; licensing needed to be quickly sorted with the Australian Communications and Media Authority [ACMA], and radio spectrum needed to be accessed so the dishes could talk to the satellites. 

“But the team adapted, worked hard, and now that the service is live, speeds to Norfolk Island have increased dramatically. Mainlanders often take high-speed internet for granted with the deployment of fast 5G on Australia’s largest network, but we can’t lose sight of the digital divide.”