NBN Co CEO Stephen Rue has told a Senate estimates hearing that it must start working on a replacement to its ageing SkyMuster satellites.
The SkyMuster satellites are geo-stationary, and were “cutting edge” when launched in 2015, but have since been surpassed by the likes of Starlink’s low-earth satellites, which offer quicker, uncapped internet
“Eight years later we are seeing growing constellations of low-earth orbit satellites, or LEOs, which address a drawback of geo-stationary satellites: latency,” Rue told the hearing.
“As our satellites reach the midpoint of their life-cycle, it is prudent for us to look at all options on the table for a replacement satellite strategy.
“This could include LEO technologies, or more traditional geo-based satellites or other terrestrial-based technologies.”
Rue also said NBN was considering low-earth orbit satellites.
“I don’t have a plan I can tell you exactly but there are a number of options that we are working on,” he concluded.
