Low-orbit satellites

Question

Senator COLLINS: You mentioned that you do research on low-orbit satellites. Especially in the Pacific island countries, it's probably a good back-up to these cables, where they can get so easily torn. Do you help them at all with trying to set up Starlink-style satellites? Ms Blundell: It's forming part of the discussion. The Pacific policymakers are really interested in the other technologies that could both complement the submarine cables and help them to provide connectivity in really remote areas. I think the issue for them is that they're trying to work out how to regulate something like Starlink in particular. Because it can be privately purchased, it doesn't go through a retailer in the same way the submarine cables are managed, so it's complicated from a revenue and regulatory perspective. So that's been a big area of interest. But we don't have a project that I'm aware of supporting Starlink rollout at the moment, do we? Mr Kenna: Not through AIFFP, but I'd have to take on notice whether any bilateral programs might have supported that sort of technology. There is, as Ms Blundell says, quite a lot of debate around Starlink and competitor services-Starlink being, in a sense, direct to consumer; other services might go through a retailer-and what that does to the market and business models. But it is obviously a very useful technology for improving connectivity.

Answer

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