In another step closer to blasting off with coverage like never before, SpaceX has received the necessary legislative permissions to allow One New Zealand to begin field testing its revolutionary Satellite to Mobile service and this will begin very shortly.
One New Zealand CEO Jason Paris is excited for One NZ’s network engineers to get started across the country. “We want New Zealanders to be safer with us, and we’re now getting down to local testing of the Starlink direct-to-cell satellite network and its capabilities.
“When we announced our collaboration with SpaceX, we were dealing with the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle, a stark reminder of the necessity of a resilient back up to our mobile network, which can be disrupted by climate-related, fibre and power outages.
“We’re unfortunately seeing this play out with Hurricane Milton in Florida right now, where Starlink satellites with direct-to-cell capability are playing a vital role keeping people connected as the extreme weather has disrupted their ground based mobile networks. That’s why starting testing here is a giant step forward on our mission to bring coverage like never before to New Zealand.
“New Zealand’s unique geography also means 40% of our landmass currently has no mobile coverage. By partnering with SpaceX, we’ll be one of the very first countries in the world to benefit from Satellite to Mobile technology which uses incredible innovation to overcome those geographic constraints to provide a second line of defence which will keep Kiwis safer and better connected.
One NZ engineers will soon be testing the new service on a variety of mobile phones in different locations in Aotearoa to determine the user experience so that launch plans can be finalised.
“These satellites are around 360 km in the sky, travelling at 27000 km per hour, connecting to One New Zealand handsets on the ground. The engineering is incredibly complex, but the customer experience needs to be simple.
“We’re planning to launch the service when our customers can send and receive an SMS by satellite to mobile in a matter of minutes. With rocket launches on a nearly weekly basis putting new Starlink satellites in the sky, we are confident that won’t take long.”
“Like all new technologies we have introduced, there will be a phased rollout plan, and we are working with phone manufacturers to bring the service to as many customers as possible.
“New Zealand is a country of farmers, explorers, trampers and boaties, which is why we think the service will make such a difference for New Zealanders. We’re really excited to get it into customers hands as soon as we can after testing.
“While safety is our first priority, we also believe the additional coverage the service will provide will be a boon for NZ productivity, with companies across the country using it to stay in touch with their teams, whether they manage a fleet, or are simply a small business that travels, the added assurance this satellite network will bring is invaluable.”
For more on the service, check out https://one.nz/spacex/