Google Earth takes you to a virtual tour of a South Australian teleport

The Adelaide Teleport is a satellite ground station in South Australia, operated by one of the leading independent satellite communications specialist in the globe, Newsat Ltd. It houses 11 antennas which at present, uplink to 12 satellites in the C and Ku band spectrums. One of the advantages of the teleport facility is its locations. Australia’s weather conditions make the Adelaide facility less susceptible to issues which usually plage such ground facilities like rain fade. 

Over the years, the teleport has been recognized for its quality and performance. In 2012, it was a finalist for the Awards for Excellence from the World Teleport Organization. Over the next two years, it has also been consistently ranked as one of the top facilities in the world, and NewSat, one of the top operators. In 2012, NewSat was named as one of the top 3 finalists for the Independent Teleport of the Year Category, once again a recognition of its two world-class Teleports in Adelaide, and in Perth.

Check out this video of a 360° tour of the Adelaide Teleport in SA through Google Earth. The applications shows in detail the facility from different views. For your own virtual tour, just type in Google Earth: NewSat Adelaide Teleport Mawson Lakes. 

At present, the two ground stations deliver highly-secure satellite communications to both enterprise and government customers. Earlier this year, the Perth teleport was chosen by Chevron Australia to provide both offshore and onshore communications to the Wheatstone project, one of the largest LNG projects in Western Australia. 

NewSat was awarded a contract worth $8.59 million for the provision of teleport services needed for the construction, operations, administration, and staff management to the resource project. On the other hand, the Adelaide teleport has consistently been awarded multiple contracts by US-based system integrators to provide satellite communications to government personnel in the Middle East. 

Last July, NewSat reported a 24% increase in its teleport revenues. The growth in its teleport services has been attributed to over 306 new contracts won during the FY2012, and increased demand for the services from various sectors including the oil and gas, mining, construction, maritime industries as well as government agencies. Some of these projects include satellite communications for pipeline construction projects across Australia, and 70 contracts with Hitron for services to enterprise customers in Papua New Guinea. Other services from NewSat include Internet from satellite, BGAN, and Data and Telemetry. 

NBN to build three satellite ground stations in WA

Australia’s NBN Project moves further with the announcement that three ground stations to be used for the infrastructure is set to be constructed in Western Australia. According to Senator Stephen Conroy, the Minister for Broadband, Communications, and Digital Economy, three satellite ground stations for the National Broadband Network will be built in the following sites: Moonyoonooka, Binduli, and Carnarvon. 

A rendering of an NBN satellite ground station

The three telecommunications port are part of ten planned to be built and operated to support the NBN project. Senator Conroy said the construction these teleports will generate jobs and improve local economies, while bringing broadband access to remote and rural communities across Australia. 

The Gillard Government has compared the NBN as equally important as basic utilities, thus, a service that must be made available to all Australians. Around 90 jobs are expected to be created as a direct result of the teleports’ construction.

The National Broadband Project is expected deliver significant economic impacts in regional communities allowing for the development of wireless services including online education and telehealth.

Construction of the ground stations begin next year. The government has announced it will introduce a uniform national wholesale pricing for the NBN, with more than 1,700 Western Australians signing up for the project.

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The Adelaide Teleport

The Adelaide Teleport

Take a look at the Adelaide Teleport, located in Southern Australia. This is one of two teleport facilities operated by NewSat, an Australian satcom company. Although its counterpart in Western Australia, the Perth Teleport, is more popular, the Adelaide teleport is equally capable of handling complex satellite communications services especially to defence organizations. In fact, like it sister facility in the west, the Adelaide teleport is also a Military Accredited Global Access Point. It is also supported by a round-the-clock all-year-round NOC to ensure it remains connected to the 8 geostationary satellites it uplinks to. 

NewSat's Perth Teleport opens for AmCHAM

In July, NewSat, Australia’s largest independent satellite communications provider to date, opened its Perth teleport for the guests of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) or the “United States Chamber of Commerce” (“USCC”), an American lobbying group representing the interests of many businesses and trade associations.

The 25 guests were given a three-part tour of the company's award-winning teleport, including a first hand look at NewSat’s network support services, a tour of the antenna systems and a presentation on NewSat’s history and the satellite industry.

Their Perth Teleport is accredited to supply services to the Australian Department of Defense (DRSS) and was a finalist in the World Teleport Association’s Awards for Excellence in 2010 and 2012. They also made the Top 20 in the 2011 World Teleport Association’s Top Operator rankings in two categories, ranking 11th in the Independent Teleport Operator category, the only Australasian company to rank in any of the operator categories.

See: About NewSat--Teleports and Jabiru

Why Australia is chosen for Teleports

A lot of people have this notion that teleports are facilities that allow matter to be transferred without actually traversing the physical space between two points. To clarify, the concept is what we call teleportation and not teleports. Teleports, or telecommunication ports, on the other hand are ground facilities which communicate with spacecrafts or receive radio waves. 

Watch this video on the advantages of an Australian teleport

These facilities are crucial links to earth and space communication. As a result, the location of ground ports are of utmost priority. Many organizations which rely on such facilities include the government and the military. Telecommunication ports provide the platform for mission critical communications. In volatile regions like the Middle East, government personnel relay on satellite communications to carry out critical services to defence missions, especially since many of the mission locations have difficult terrain, and the terrestrial networks in wart-torn regions are damaged.

An example of how satellite communications - through the use of teleports - are assisting the defence industry can be seen in how the Perth Teleport in Australia is delivering the needed communications solutions to the Middle East. Australia's location provides the perfect look angle to the ME, and many military communications provider rely on the systems down under to carry out their missions. The climate where the Perth Teleport is location is also very conducive. Rain fade is minimal which also means less latency issues. The ground port in Australia is well-secured too, and many defence organizations have certified the Perth Teleport.

Perth teleport opens for special guests

NewSat's world-class Perth teleport was once again the site of a satellite tour for special guests. The ground station facility opened its doors to the Chairman of the Ex-IM Bank, Mr. Fred Hochberg, and to the American Chamber of Commerce, this past month.

Chairman Fred Hochberg (third from left); on his right is NewSat CEO Adrian Ballintine

The visit of Mr. Hochberg was important as it solidified the partnership between the US-based export credit agency in Australia's leading independent satellite communications company. Just last July 20, NewSat secured a direct loan amounting to $280 million from the Ex-IM bank for the support of its Jabiru-1, a high-powered ka band satellite currently under construction in partnership with Lockheed Martin, and slated for a 2014 launch. This is the first satellite transaction by the credit agency with Lockheed Martin, and also the first for Australia. The 2014 launch, on the other hand, will be in partnership with Arianespace.

The Jabiru-1 is now six months into counstruction.

Last June 18, NewSat announced that the project has successfully completed its Preliminary Design Review (PDR) which demonstrates the satellite meets all the critical requirements for it to deliver Ka-band capacity to both government and enterprise customers. 

NewSat's Founder and CEO, Adrian Ballintine, welcomed Chairman Hochberg and accompanied him in a tour of the teleport facility in Perth. Recently, the Australian company announced that revenues from its teleport business has increased thanks to growing demand in the military sector, the security of new contracts in Papua New Guinea, as well partnerships with developments in the resource industry. 

Guests from the AMCHAM in a presenation of NewSat's history

Twenty-five guests from the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) also visited the Perth teleport. The visitors were given a tour of the world-class facility's antenna systems and network operations centre. Len McGoldrick, the Vice President of Engineering and Operations, also discussed with the guests NewSat's history in the satellite industry. 

The Perth teleport is one of two world-class facilities operated by NewSat. Adelaide Teleport, in Southern Australia, also provides global coverage and uplinking to satellites in the C-band and Ku-band spectrum.