Australia’s Optus, the country’s second-largest telecoms company and a subsidiary of Singapore’s SingTel, is linking with Myriota on a nano-satellite scheme to provide coverage of Internet of Things (IoT) demand.

In a statement Myriota said the telco-nanosatellite agreement would offer low-cost, long battery life connectivity for millions of devices across multiple industries by combining Optus’ national networks and digital enablement capabilities with Myriota’s direct-to-orbit technology.

The announcement follows a productive year for Myriota, which has become a global leader in nanosatellite IoT connectivity and is based at Adelaide, South Australia.

Myriota CEO and co-founder Dr Alex Grant said the company was already trialling the partnership with Optus customers and expected to continue onboarding customers. “That’s all going well and we expect this to ramp up significantly over the coming months,” Grant said.

Dr Grant said the latest collaboration would unlock new opportunities for IoT applications across a wide range of industries. “Remote connectivity has long been the missing piece of the puzzle for IoT across industries like logistics and farming, and we are thrilled to partner with Optus Business to provide a comprehensive connectivity offering,” Dr Grant added. “Previously, satellite connectivity has not been available or affordable for businesses with remote assets, but nanosatellites are providing a more attainable and affordable solution. By combining Optus’ national networks with our nanosatellite capability, we are able to offer a truly holistic IoT solution and help solve connectivity issues being faced in regional Australia.”

Earlier this month, the South Australian company announced a partnership with Queensland AgTech business Goanna Ag to unlock the power of remote monitoring, and in July the Adelaide start-up became the first to pen a statement of strategic intent with the Australian Space Agency.

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