Canadian satellite operator, Telesat has partnered with Australia’s Vocus, to bring its Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite services to Australia in a market currently dominated by Elon Musk’s StarLink.
The agreement will see Vocus build and operate the country’s first Telesat LEO landing station to be built in New South Wales with the company providing the fibre connectivity to Telesat’s points of presence (PoPs), linking it to the satellite provider’s LEO satellite constellation, named Telesat Lightspeed, is set to deliver secure and low-latency connectivity across the region. Vocus is looking to bridge the connectivity divide that has plagued regional Australia and will bring high-speed connectivity and increased competition to more Australians.
Australian LEO satellite market continues to grow
The Australian LEO satellite market continues to grow especially in rural and regional parts of the country which remain underpopulated with limited terrestrial infrastructure. The use of LEO satellites continues to be favoured in providing high-speed connectivity where traditional methods of connectivity aren’t viable, and the country is no stranger to satellite connectivity with the country’s National Broadband Network using Geostationary (GEO) satellites for its Sky Muster service.
However, the government is exploring the use of LEO-based satellite services to improve telecommunications in remote areas of Australia after an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) investigation revealed the Sky Muster service was so poor it struggled to consistently play videos and amid reports that customers were jumping ship to StarLink.
A new UOMO
Earlier in 2025, the Australian government expanded the existing universal services framework to include a new Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation (UOMO) for the Australian mobile carriers. This will see mobile operators required to deliver mobile voice, SMS and access to emergency services through direct to device leveraging LEO technology.
This obligation has led to all three carriers establishing relationships with at least one LEO satellite provider, such as Singtel’s Optus (StarLink), TPG Telecom (Lynk Global), and Telstra (StarLink and OneWeb) with the focus remaining just on mobility rather than expanding it to include broader network connectivity.
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By GlobalDataBrendan Swan, Senior Research Analyst, GlobalData said: “While LEO Satellite providers for example Telesat, StarLink, and OneWeb may all use the same satellite constellations, they all differ in technology, architecture and the customers they target”.
“Once operational, Telesat’s Lightspeed will make a great addition to the Australian landscape, bringing new enterprise carrier-grade capabilities backed by strong and comprehensive Service Level Agreements will make it attractive to customers and be a formidable competitor against StarLink which has a strong share of the Australian market,” said Swan.
Vocus will help assist those industries that require high-capacity, low-latency connections located in rural and remote locations such as in mining, energy and transport.
Telesat’s Lightspeed has a unique feature allowing terminal-to-terminal direct connectivity capability which removed the need for terrestrial links for customers transmitting sensitive information, which will make it attractive to all level governments, including federal for defence and security intelligence and with emergency services for State government,” Swan concluded.
