LETTER TO THE EDITORSir – In May last year NBN launched its Sky Muster satellite service.
We now have more than 60,000 people across Australia connected to the service and on February 28 the interim satellite service will be switched off.
So if you haven’t yet arranged to transition across to Sky Muster you should do so as soon as possible.
In regional and remote areas, where there are often no other alternative connections, access to connectivity is critical. To provide wholesale speeds of four to eight times faster than what has previously been available in the satellite market is exceptional.
When you combine the speed available and the range of data allowances, users can now choose plans for about the same price they paid for previous satellite services but gain the benefit of much higher speeds as well as four to five times more data.
The fact that we can connect homes around the country through tiny beams transmitted nearly 36,000 kilometres into outer space and back again is, in a word, awesome.
While satellite technology has come a long way, it can be affected by weather and is not immune to the tyranny of distance. That said, we also know that if your service is down, you can’t school your kids, run your farms or do your business online.
We know the Sky Muster journey hasn’t been a smooth one for everyone and has not met your expectations, and indeed ours.
No other company in the world has embarked on a satellite program connecting as many people as quickly as we have to date, and, while that might be a small consolation for those suffering from unstable internet access, it is a reminder of the sheer size of the job we are undertaking to improve connectivity for all Australians.
Of course, with any complex new technology there will always be implementation issues, and I apologise for the time it is taking to fix them.
We are working day and night to improve the Sky Muster service. We’ve already implemented a series of major software upgrades to improve the network experience and have increased the number of installers on the ground.
The early results from these changes are encouraging and show better network stability and a significant lift in connection performance. We believe we are well and truly heading in the right direction but there’s still more work to be done.
We are also working with our retail providers and delivery partners to help further improve the installation process.
Last year Qantas announced they would be trialling in-air WiFi services on Sky Muster. This aeronautical trial is vitally important for all Australians, as it paves the way for potential mobile satellite solutions for emergency and search and rescue organisations in remote locations across the country.
At the same time, our specialist technology team are also developing business, health and education products.
John Simon
Chief Customer Officer, NBN
Mr Simon,
Please explain what you mean by linking the Qantas in-air WiFi trial with potential mobile satellite solutions for emergency organisations.
The connection between the two is not obvious.
Hi Erwin,
Boy I hope you got paid for this info commercial.
How could anyone have any faith in what the NBN claim?
They say they can connect homes 36,000 kilometres away and yet they couldn’t find an address in Darwin less than one kilometre from their own office, on six occasions.
And they still had the wrong address on the seventh visit.
The NBN Co is the most pathetic and poorly run organisation I have ever had to deal with.
I can easily prove my accusations if required.
[ED – Hi Steve, we keep editorial and advertising content strictly apart. We don’t charge for publishing letters to the editor.]