While it comes as no surprise that our local post offices play an important role in communities around Australia, what I hadn’t appreciated was just how diverse that role can be when you step out of our cities and explore our rural and regional towns.
Australia has over 2,500 post offices in rural and remote areas, including Licensed Post Offices (LPO) that operate as independent small businesses. These LPOs punch well above their weight in terms of the breadth of services they offer to the communities they serve. Sending and receiving mail is just the start, they also offer services like banking and bill payment, to sometimes doubling as petrol stations, general stores, newsagencies or pharmacies and, above all else, being essential community hubs.
To support this critical role our rural and regional Post Offices play, there’s a need for reliable connectivity, and we are very excited to have partnered with Australia Post to help make this a reality. As part of our partnership, we’ve worked with Australia Post to bring upgraded connectivity to 270 Licensed Post Office sites across rural and remote Australia, making them the first major organisation to undertake a deployment of Telstra Starlink Enterprise Internet at this scale on a national level.
It’s work that we’re proud to be a part of and excited to deliver, because it’s work that ensures our rural and remote communities continue to have access to the essential services they need.
Telstra Starlink Enterprise Internet builds on our long-standing commitment to deliver reliable connectivity to our business customers, no matter their post code connectivity – and partnering with Australia Post has been a particularly meaningful milestone.
The Telstra Starlink Enterprise Internet plan uses Starlink low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to deliver faster connectivity with less lag than traditional geostationary satellites. Coupled with Telstra’s mobile network failover where possible, it provides peace of mind and ensures that business can continue even when satellite connection is disrupted.
We took the enormous task of upgrading 270 rural and remote Australia Post sites with Telstra Starlink Enterprise Internet connectivity, making it one of the broadest rollouts of satellite-based internet for a large enterprise business in Australia. The technology upgrade is already making a difference, delivering more reliable and efficient over-the-counter transactions.
But this was no small feat. Some of these locations – from Cunnamulla in Queensland to Oodnadatta in South Australia and Cocos Island in Western Australia – are so remote that getting the necessary equipment there was a task in itself. Take Cape Barren for example, an island off the north coast of Tasmania – delivering a Starlink kit there involved two planes, a boat, a car, and a truck! But it was all worth it, knowing that these hubs for the community have the connectivity they need.
Norfolk Island was another location that had its own unique challenges. Due to its remoteness, the project demanded extensive pre-planning, including coordination with local council and utilities, pre-scoping the building and site via Google Maps and photos supplied by Australia Post staff, and packing up our essential gear in a suitcase. This pre-planning and due diligence from the team set us in good stead to make sure the job was completed without a hitch.
The results have been nothing short of remarkable. With these upgrades, the Post Offices are now experiencing internet speeds four to 22 times faster than before.
The install has given these Australia Post outlets the confidence to participate in a nationwide upgrade of their Point-of-Sale system to cloud-based technology.
For me, this project has been a reminder of just how crucial it is to be connected, no matter where you are in this vast country. With thousands of communities relying on these services every day, the importance of resilient and forward-thinking connectivity solutions has never been clearer.
In addition to Telstra Starlink Enterprise Internet, we recently launched Australia’s first satellite to mobile text messaging product, Telstra Satellite Messaging, for eligible consumer and small business Upfront mobile customers. We are also working hard to make this capability available for our Enterprise customers in the near future. It’s another step forward in our commitment to ensuring that even the most isolated parts of Australia are not left behind when it comes to staying connected.
