It is difficult to believe life without a means of communication, such as phone and internet. However, this is a reality for many people living in remote areas and islands around Australia.
Activ8me, Australia’s largest satellite broadband and registered nbn service provider, is working with the Australian Government to maintain remote Indigenous community access to essential telecommunications services such as phone and internet.
Activ8me has installed 301 Community Phones since May 2009 under the Australian Government’s Remote Australia Strategies Programme. Remote Community Telecommunications is part of the Programme to support the provision of infrastructure, housing, telecommunications and home ownership in remote Indigenous communities, as well as the development of local and regional place-based approaches.

Local resident, Cow Lagoon, East Arnhem land, NT

These phones are located in the most remote parts of Australia. At last count more than 600,000 calls  – from Goolargoon, 200 kilometres north of Broome to Papunya in the Northern Territory and over to the tip of Cape York in Queensland – had been made from these unique phones, made available to indigenous communities through the Federal Government’s Remote Community Telecommunications Programme.  The phones are totally standalone, having solar power and utilising two satellite links for communications.  They can thus be located literally anywhere.  In addition they provide free local WiFi access over a 100m radius.
In addition to the continued maintenance of these 301 innovative phones, Activ8me has also recently won the contract for services in relation to the maintenance and monitoring of  245 Community Payphones, taking the total to 546 remote phones. This contract will also see the full-time employment of an indigenous Australian on the project.

Tony Bundrock, Activ8me CEO with first new nbn satellite modem.

Tony Bundrock, Activ8me CEO, is proud to bridge some of the incredible isolation these communities live in through this contract.
“The Remote Community Telecommunications programme is a testament to the positive social outcomes that can be achieved when Government and private business collaborate,” said Mr Bundrock.
“There are many communities that are now occupied throughout the year, including during the wet season. Previously, whole communities would relocate to towns during the wet season because they had no means of communication at their original location. What has exceeded my expectations is the value in connecting these communities to the world through Wi-Fi with 25,065 gigabytes of data being used between August 2013 and June 2015.”
Activ8me is the first Retail Service Provider to receive one of the new nbn satellite modems that will deliver new commercial nbn satellite services from April 2016 to regional Australian residents. The new nbn satellite service heralds a new era in which regional Australia will get the broadband services that it needs.
nbn have embarked on a rigorous testing phase in the lead up to new nbn satellite commercial services. Activ8me is one of three companies that will be testing the performance of the new satellite service. A lucky group of Activ8me satellite customers selected at the discretion of nbn will take part in the test phase.
Activ8me will also have a fully functional test facility in their Melbourne headquarters in Preston before Christmas.
“This is particularly satisfying as our business was founded on our capability as satellite experts and we have watched both technology and the dynamic demands of the consumer change and evolve at a startling pace. The new nbn satellite technology will be crucial in covering the diverse needs of Australia and its terrain,” said Mr Bundrock.
If you haven’t yet registered your interest for updates on the new NBN satellite, you can still do so by clicking here. You don’t have to be an Activ8me customer to register; we are taking registrations from everyone.
If you have problems clicking the link above you can register for updates by:
Visiting: https://activ8me.net.au/register-interest-ltss
Or, go to the Activ8me website > Click ‘Contact Us’ > Select ‘Register Interest New NBN Satellite’