Vocus partners with Telesat for satellite network services

Vocus will build Australia's first Telesat Lightspeed Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Landing Station, as part of a multi-year terrestrial infrastructure and services agreement with the Canadian wholesale satellite service operator.

Lightspeed is Telesat's global network of a planned 198 LEO satellites, which aims to provide very high data througput, low latency always-on service with cost-effective reach.

Telesat has signed up SpaceX for 14 launches, with satellites hoisted into orbit by  the Falcon9 rocket.

Vocus will build and operate the new facility in New South Wales, providing fibre connectivity to Telesat's point of presence to connect the advanced LEO satellite constellation to terrestrial networks.

Vocus is looking to deliver secure, low-latency satellite services across the Asia-Pacific region when Telesat begins launching its LEO satellites in late 2026.

"As a leading provider of Landing Stations and fibre network solutions, Vocus is an ideal partner to deliver the resilient, scalable terrestrial infrastructure that not only serves as a key interconnect point for customer data, but also further strengthens Australia's digital infrastructure resilience," Asit Tandon, Telesat's chief network and information officer, said.

The new landing station will play a role in satellite testing and customer field trials before global service delivery commences.

"Vocus already has 30 ground stations currently in operation or contracted to be built, demonstrating that our infrastructure provides the critical reliability needed for LEO networks," Ashley Neale, head of Vocus' space and wireless operaitons said.

The long-term agreement includes Telesat Lightspeed services backed by committed information rates (CIR) and comprehensive service level agreements (SLAs) when the network becomes operational.

These services will ensure resilient, low-latency connectivity for Vocus' enterprise and government customers, complementing its existing LEO satellite services customer base.

Glenn Katz, Telesat's chief commercial officer, emphasised the flexibility of the Telesat Lightspeed architecture for meeting secure, mission-critical requirements.

"We're honoured that Vocus will be integrating our MEF 3.0 compliant Telesat Lightspeed Carrier Ethernet services into its portfolio to meet the secure, mission-critical requirements of their customers in Australia, as well as their distributed networks across the globe," Katz said.

MEF 3.0 refers to the third generation of standards and frameworks developed by the MEF Forum (formerly the Metro Ethernet Forum).

The service architecture includes options for Private Access Stations, special security add-ons, and customer control over encryption, providing differentiated capabilities in Vocus' LEO portfolio.

One unique feature of the Telesat Lightspeed service will be its Terminal-to-Terminal direct connectivity capability, eliminating the need for terrestrial links for customers transmitting sensitive information.

This capability enables direct communication between remote locations via the optical laser-linked space network, completely bypassing land-based infrastructure or the public internet.

"This will enable, for example, a naval vessel to communicate via the Telesat Lightspeed satellites directly with ground deployed soldiers via the optical laser-linked space network, completely bypassing land-based infrastructure or the public internet," Neale said.

"This capability will be extremely valuable to customers with mission-critical communications requirements and a desire to preserve data sovereignty even outside of Australia's geographic borders."