Netlinkz secures satellite-based internet deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX
Netlinkz will initially market the bundled VSN-Starlink product to remote and rural communities in Australia and New Zealand.
Australian technology company Netlinkz (ASX: NET) has secured a deal to become a global reseller of the Starlink satellite-based broadband internet service developed by Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technology Corp (SpaceX).
The non-exclusive agreement will allow Netlinkz to market the high-speed, low-latency product to government and non-government enterprises in Australia and New Zealand.
It will be bundled with Netlinkz’ proprietary virtual secure network (VSN) solution to provide a fully-encrypted invisible private network for end-user devices which need to access the internet.
Benefits include enhanced security as a protection against growing cybercrime without compromising network performance.
New dimension of connectivity
Netlinkz chief executive officer James Tsiolis said Starlink will provide a “new dimension of connectivity” to customers.
“This distribution agreement enables us to implement our sales strategy faster across a significantly larger footprint,” he said.
“We will be able to integrate our VSN with Starlink’s advanced satellite technology to bypass barriers posed by traditional, outdated and often limited telecommunication infrastructures.”
With satellites positioned in low-Earth orbit at an altitude of 550 kilometres — or over 65 times closer than conventional geostationary satellites — SpaceX expects Starlink to achieve significantly lower latency and higher transmission speeds for end users.
Initial markets
Netlinkz will initially market the bundled VSN-Starlink product to remote and rural communities needing fast and secure access to online health, education, and financial services.
Sales to customers in Australia and New Zealand will begin in December, with Netlinkz also offering a secure satellite internet service for boats, marine craft, recreational vehicles, remote mining sites and caravans so users can connect from anywhere in the region.
The company’s wholly-owned internet service provider (ISP) subsidiary Southcloud will manage sales to customers in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales where enterprise-grade fast broadband is limited or unavailable.
Sales to other markets including Malaysia, Indonesia, Qatar, Singapore, Japan, Pacific Islands, Africa and Pakistan will follow.
Netlinkz said it is fully-funded for the rollout, with revenue expected to be generated in the new year from hardware sales, service and licensing fees.