CASE STUDY
could take up to six hours to get to the injured person : something that has proved challenging in the past due to the lack of any local terrestrial communications networks . Additionally , during the wet season heavy rainfall means that farms quickly become flooded if nearby creeks overflow . Properties can become isolated for anything up to six weeks , placing staff and family in potentially dangerous situations .
Due to the remote location of each cattle station , the McMillans notably lacked a reliable form of connectivity , with no available terrestrial broadband , cellular mobile networks or landline telephones . To overcome this challenge , each farm building is equipped with a fixed satellite dish that provides local Wi-Fi Internet connectivity .
Workers also carry satellite phones for voice communications when they are on the road or out in the field . This approach was unsuitable for the daily requirements of the business and it was negatively impacting the bottom line .
Jane McMillan , Grazier at McMillan Pastoral Company , said : “ Although many of our cattle stations use satellite dishes to provide Wi-Fi , it requires the user being in close proximity to the router to maintain a stable connection . However , many of our cattle stations are very large , with people needing to work away from the main building .
“ Similarly , when using the portable satellite phones , each one operates on a unique dedicated number , so we have to rely on multiple different lines for business communications . This is not ideal , as it can lead to serious complications when dealing with customers and associates .
“ The monthly contract for our fixed dishes is also extremely expensive and we needed to find a cheaper and more reliable alternative that would allow each member of our team to instantly connect their personal devices to the Internet from any location – even when traveling between cattle stations where network coverage is unavailable .”
The solution
The McMillan Pastoral Company was keen to find the right partners who could provide a cost-effective , mobile and reliable connectivity solution with a high level of technical support . The McMillans chose GlobalSat , a small independently owned family business based in West Ipswich Qld , Australia , that was established in 1996 . GlobalSat is a key partner of Inmarsat and a leading provider of satellite communications systems and equipment throughout Australia and internationally .
The company saw the potential of Inmarsat ’ s Broadband Global Area Network ( BGAN ) service , which is delivered via the Inmarsat-4 network and offers up to 99.9 % availability . Due to the McMillans need to send and receive important emails , contracts and documentation while on the move , GlobalSat recommended and provided a portable Cobham SATCOM EXPLORER 510 terminal to the McMillan Pastoral company as a trial which ended up being a great success .
The EXPLORER 510 solution enables simultaneous voice and broadband data up to 464kbps which is ideal for connecting any mobile devices such as smartphones , laptops and tablets , in regions of limited terrestrial network coverage .
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