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An internet of things firm backed by the UK and European space agencies has been given permission to launch in Australia.
Lacuna Space, based in Oxford, England, creates “sensor-to-satellite” devices that allow equipment in remote areas to transmit small amounts of data via CubeSats.
The cheap devices can significantly send data for five years without needing to be recharged or replaced – making them ideal for the Australian outback.
“In Northern Queensland, a particularly dry and remote region, Lacuna Space is working with a company to manage water levels and drought conditions,” the firm said.
“Here, efficient water management is crucial to sustain livestock grazing and support local communities during droughts.
“By eliminating the need for expensive terrestrial infrastructure, Lacuna’s satellite IoT can help provide long-term insights to help mitigate the impact of droughts by ensuring more efficient water and resource management.”
Lacuna says its technology can also allow users to track environmental changes on land, remotely manage agricultural systems or monitor equipment performance. The devices work by transmitting a signal directly to a passing satellite that stores the messages for a short period of time until they pass over its network of ground stations.
The messages are then relayed automatically from the ground station to a cloud platform to be viewed on a web-based application.
Crucially, the signals use a long-range wide area network protocol that are specially designed to conserve battery power.
The news comes after a string of announcements from local companies promising to provide internet services to previously unconnectable regions.
Last month, for example, TPG revealed it would launch a “straight-to-mobile” satellite service for customers living in remote areas.
The agreement will, uniquely, not require customers to obtain any specific hardware and will instead work on all compatible handsets.
TPG told The Australian the service would eventually provide “near-100 per cent mobile coverage” across the country, eliminating “dead zones” in remote areas.
However, unlike its larger telco rival, TPG has agreed to work with Starlink rival Lynk Global, which uses a smaller number of low-Earth orbit satellites than its SpaceX-owned opposition.
Starlink, meanwhile, has pressed ahead with the launch of its portable satellite dish that allows users to access reliable internet on the go.
The device, which resembles a large laptop, works like a traditional dongle but allows users to go online without needing to be within the range of a phone mast.
The new mini dish costs $799 and can be paired with two plans: “Mobile Regional”, which costs $174 per month and offers unlimited mobile data, or “Mini Roam”, which costs $80 per month for 50 GB of data.
Crucially, the plan can be paused or unpaused anytime, opening it up to hikers and travellers who only want to use it for limited periods of the year.
Starlink only launched in Australia in 2021 but was previously only available via a permanent, fixed connection.
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