In Sunday’s segment on Sky News Australia (Weekend Edition with Tim Gilbert) we talked about Perth-based SAT ONE satellite Internet company signing a deal with ONEWEB. SAT ONE is offering satellite broadband services to businesses and government agencies in rural and remote locations across Australia and New Zealand.
In simple terms, ONEWEB’s LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellite constellation is similar to Starlink’s but through SAT ONE customers are guaranteed speeds of 200 Mbps down – 40 Mbps up .. that’s brilliant.
So while servicing business and government for now, there’s a possibility future plans will include consumers.
FAST FACTS ABOUT SAT ONE AND ONEWEB DEAL
- Perth founded technology company Sat One is Australia’s newest Satellite internet company, who are launching revolutionary super fast internet services.
- Sat One is offering satellite broadband services to businesses and government agencies no matter how remote their location within an allocated area at time of launch, with plans to service all of Australia in 2024.
- Sat One, who are part of OneWeb’s global network with more than 640 satellites located across the world, will do this through their low earth orbit satellite (LEO) network that provides fibre-like speeds and capabilities, without the expensive construction costs.
- Sat One are guaranteeing download speeds of 200Mbbs and upload speeds of 40Mbbs depending on a chosen plan and they give their clients the choice of unlimited or data capped plans at the committed and guaranteed speed.
- Their pricing is competitive, and they offer 24/7 customer support through locally based call centres.
- Sat One is also guaranteeing data that is transmitted in Australia always lands back in Australia. This is because “Landing Rights for Space” has been secured by OneWeb.
- The launch of Sat One will help industries including emergency services, agriculture, mining and resources to ensure they can continue to operate and maintain safety standards, especially during extreme weather events, and will also help to bridge the digital divide.
- While location availability at launch is south of the Tropic of Capricorn, from Carnarvon to Bundaberg to be more precise, services will grow to reach Australia-wide by Q1 of 2024
- Businesses can purchase Sat One services directly through Sat One or through one of their channel partners.
Note: Image Matrix Tech viewers will see a more in-depth report later this week.
TECH SHOW IFA BERLIN IS UNDERWAY
All the big companies like, Samsung, LG and Hisense are in Germany this weekend for IFA. It’s smaller than CES but in many ways, more enjoyable to attend.
Robots are out in force at IFA 2023, large and small. But the big reveal came from ECOVACS. The company showed publicly what could be called the most advanced robot vacuum cleaner ever. The DEEBOT X2 OMNI.
It has a new square-shape (yes!) and increased suction (8,000 pa). The intelligent Auto-lift Mopping System lifts the plates by 15mm when carpet is detected. The all-in-one OMNI station offers a fully automated cleaning solution including Auto-Clean with 55°C Hot Water Mop Washing, Auto-Empty Dust Bin, Auto Hot Air Drying, Auto Water Refilling and self-maintenance. It will be coming to Australia and I’ll have more on that soon.
There were other robots on show – including Willow. This has been a huge hit at IFA , mostly because it’s so damn cute. It will mow your lawn, kill weeds and guard your home.
The protoype Willow X has arms that can carry tools, throw out the rubbish, even pour a beer.
IS THERE ANY POINT USING A PHONE FOR MOON SHOTS?
Yes there is .. but not to take the photo. Having said that, the Samsung S23 Ultra it does a pretty good job.
The problem is; the moon is very bright and distant so smartphone’s don’t have the reach or dynamic range to pull off some of the images or video you’ll see in this segment.
For the most part, people end up with a white circle. Not a good memory.
But .. a smartphone is still important because of moon tracking apps. I used MOON TRACKER and the AR feature to help plan the shot. You can see where and when moonrise will occur.
Then it’s about a real camera and a long lens – very long. I used the Canon R6 II and 800mm f/11 RF lens plus an extender to double the reach. You can buy this lens for around $1500 so getting set up doesn’t have to break the bank.
What is clear though .. real cameras rule!