Satellite Cell on Wheels or as we like to call it our ‘SatCOW’
Filed under: ADSL, corporate, innovation, mobile phone, networks, technology
Expanding on our existing Next G™ network technology Telstra has now developed a new prototype Next G™ mobile base station that is highly portable and offers almost immediate mobile coverage in areas without any infrastructure.
A fitting complement to other innovative technology you may have already heard of such as the Mobile Exchange on Wheels (MEOW), which is a portable ADSL 2+ enabled exchange that can provide temporary landline and broadband services in areas impacted by a natural disaster, and the traditional CoW (Cell on Wheels) which provides mobile phone coverage.
Well, now we have developed the Satellite Cell on Wheels (SatCOW) which uses satellite transmission to connect to Telstra’s terrestrial network and provide Next G™ network coverage to the surrounding area for even quicker deployment in even the most remote areas.
The ‘SatCOW’ is our latest prototype and has been turning heads around the country for the past couple of months. Its role in facilitating the rapid provision or recovery of mobile network service has attracted the interest of government and emergency services organisations during exclusive demonstrations of the equipment.
The transportation of the SatCOW is a compact affair as can be seen in the accompanying slideshow designed for purpose, it is packed in cases and can be transported using a standard vehicle such as a four wheel drive. It is also suitable to send to a site via freight or light aircraft.
It takes under two hours for two field technicians on site to assemble and commission. This means rapid network recovery to ensure that we can meet the needs of our customers.
Like the MEOW, the SatCOW will be well suited to use in situations where natural disasters have occurred, or where existing towers have been damaged or even for permanent installation in remote areas especially where terrestrial based backhaul is not available.
Looks like a great stopgap solution. Nice work.
How high is the latency on voice and data ?
We use a Geostationary satellite for the transmission so this adds approximately 240mSec into the voice and data paths.
As wireless systems already deal with delays they make use of sophisticated echo cancellation techniques so we see little impact on voice.
The extra delay can impact conventional data transmission peak speeds however we can still see typical user speeds between 1-2 Mbps.
Dear mike I was just enquiring as to the contact number for the team who looks after the MEOWS or Satcows for a festival?
Hi Sam,
Have just passed on your email address to the team – they’ll get in contact with you.
Looks like a great solution for remote communities/mine sites etc, would be great if Telstra actually made it easy to contact people about these products intstead of getting the usual Telstra circle chase.
Hi Jarrod, I’ve sent your message on the person looking after the SATCOW. You Let me know how you go. Brendan.
Brenden, thanks for the reply – though I still have not heard anything. The disappointing thing is Telstra have some great innovations yet the customer service side of your organization does nothing to lift Telstra’s image. I hope one day someone within the organization can market such a brilliant product, until then more landlines and sat phones I guess.
What is the cost for this equipment?
That looks like excellent packaging for a quick response system to base station problems.
The important point here is that this is the sort of thing that Telstra can do and does do, while the smaller players do not or cannot.
Well done. I hope there is more publicity for this.
I’d also appreciate if you could forward my details onto the relevant SatCOW staff/area, as after I’ve been involved with the flood recovery efforts in Qld, I’d like to find out more about these devices and the possibility of something like this in our arsenal of disaster management equipment.
I would greatly appreciate any further information about the delivery of these services.
Could someone from the COW team get in touch with me? I’d like to discuss co-ordination of services at large events.
Thanks
Hi JR, I’ve asked for someone to contact you.
Hi Brendan,
can you also put me in touch with someone from the COW team? I’d also like to discuss availability of services for events.
regards,
Josh
Will do Josh.
Hi Brendan,
could you have someone contact me about the deployment of a SatCOW system for mining, we have a requirement that needs to be filled rapidly.
Regards
Matt
Will do Matt.
Hi Brendan
Could you ask someone to contact me about SATCOW for a major event here in QLD in remote bushland.
Ade
Sure thing Ade. I’ve passed yoru detail on.
Hi mike
Another event organiser query. Like to plan to boost capacity if we can. Can you have someone contact me please.
Thanks
Danny
Hi,
Can you please get someone from the team to contact me asap regarding a SATCOW device for a current event.
Thanks
Deane
Hi
Can you please have someone from the team to contact me asap regarding a SATCOW
We have a major event coming up in August and require Telstra Coverage for our Traders EFTPOS Machines and Visitors to the event.
It is our 25th anniversary and are expecting in excess of 10000 people to pass through.
Hello Denise, I’ve passed this on for you and asked the team to get in touch.
Hi Brendan,
I would like to receive more info as I have a possible requirement for the MEOW & SATCOW systems. Could you please ask the relevant parties to get in touch.
Thanking you kindly.
Kealan Coleman
Production Manager
AV1
Sure thing Kealan, I’ve just passed your details on to them.
Hi Brendan,
our requirement is for mining construction services for a new mine approximately 80Klm from the Gumlu township.
I will have approximately 250 – 300 constructions workers during development.
Telstra have told us it will be approximately $2Mill to erect a cell tower onsite,
Optus have come back and said no worries, free of charge.
A satcow or meow service would be ideal until permenant infrastructure is installed.
Regards Wayne
Hi Wayne, I’ve passed this on and asked that they call you. Brendan
Hi Brendan,
Could you pass my details on to the CoW team as I have an annual event that has always suffered network congestion.
Cheers Paul
Hi Paul. Have done so for you. Brendan
Hi I’ve got an event planned and have a black spot issue and keen for more info on the cow thanks
Hi Matt. Send me your phone details and I’ll pass it on for you. Brendan
Hi,
I have clients interested in the SatCOW for multiple remote mining camps (upto 100 users per camp).
My clients would like us to investigate the systems and if possible the intergration of our solar solution as the power source.
Can I please be contacted by somone who will understand my requirements from the SatCOW team.
Thanks in avance for a rapid response.
Hi Ian, I’ve passed this on and asked for someone to give youa buzz. Brendan
Hi, I live at 286 Powell Street, Grafton…You placed a COW at the Grafton Racecourse this July, I was just wondering if anyone did any investigations, regarding the interference to surrounding households, regarding their Austar (pay tv) receptions?
I had severe interference to mine and my neighbours to the extent that I lodged a complaint with the Clarence River Jockey Club, with no response.
Yesterday I spoke to a Telstra technician, who told me that it was Telstra and not the CRJC, who erected this device
Do you have to do any consultation with the surrounding neighbours? Do you have to have permission from ANYONE regarding the erection of these towers?
He also told me that this device will be erected again next July for the race carnival…would you please investigate, if there is any chance of changing the frequency so that it will not interfere with our lifestyle…that being the Pay Tv reception, where we the neighbours like to watch our Horse Racing on the television that we pay for…
Regards,
Robert
Hello Robert. I’ve asked for someone who can advise on this issue with the COW in your area to get in touch with you via email. Brendan
Hi Robert. Unfortunate about the interference to your Pay TV reception during the Grafton race carnival. We installed a COW (cell on wheels) to boost the mobile capacity of our Next G® network during this event, but our engineers are confident that this would have not have been the cause. Today I’ve organised one of our engineers to send you an email with some technical information and the results of their investigation. Thanks, Brendan
Hello Brendan, I’d love someone to get in touch with me about boosting capacity at drag racing events. We have had two major events this year, one in Virginia near Adelaide and another in Willowbank near Brisbane where we managed to cripple the network, 8000-10,000 people in attendance where normally there is just farms! This makes it difficult for us from a media perspective so we’d love to have a chat about ensuring Telstra service stays up at these events.
Passed this on and asked the SATCOW team to take a look and get in touch with you Luke. Brendan.
Hi Brendan,
I’m involved an event of around 200 to 300 people in a remote desert area in western Queensland in July next year and would like to find out cost and capacity of a Sat CoW system.
Can you please put me in touch with the appropriate person?
Many thanks
Lucas
Hello Lucas. Sure can. I have sent this off for you. Brendan
Hi Brendan,
Could you send me the same information given to Lucas as there are several gatherings at race tracks in South West QLD where there is no mobile coverage.
Regards,
Louis
Hi Louis – I’ll look into this and send you an email shortly.
Hi Brendan,
As many before me, looking into provisioning for remote locations (“events based activity”) where COWS looks like a viable option.
Request someone pass further detail.
Thanks,
Ken
Hi Brendan,
Also looking into COWS as a solution for isolated events. As above more info requested.
Thanks,
Ken
Hi Ken,
I’ve passed your message on to the SATCOW team. They should be in touch via email shortly.
Thanks.
hi there i was wondering could this be used to triangaulte a missing person mobile there is only one tower in the area
Hi Steven,
Interesting idea you raise here. I’m no expert here but I guess theoretically it would be possible if they had narrowed the missing person down to a very small area (the cell on wheels don’t have a bigger coverage area than a regular exchange) and the mobile device they had was sending out a GPS signal via an app such as ‘Find my iPhone’ or ‘Find my friends’. But there are a whole host of legal and privacy issues and I’m assuming it would be up to the police to gain a warrant to do this. Interesting point nonetheless.
Az
We have a Gas pipeline Company which has moved into our small rural area which has a rather large workforce in their camp. They have overload our wireless exchange because of two many people using the network.
Would the COW ease the burden whilst construction is being done?