20/11/2019
In our work and personal lives, we’re accustomed to 24 hour communications connectivity wherever we find ourselves. Australia is a large land mass and most of the population lives in cities and large towns - with telephone coverage largely limited to those population centres and major highways. Most of the continent is unpopulated and when driving through the outback, terrestrial coverage can be non-existent.It is recommended that those travelling through the outback take some form of satellite communications depending on their requirements. For those needing data, a terminal is recommended. A data terminal such as the Thales MissionLINK utilising the Iridium Certus® service is a great choice. The Thales Group’s MissionLINK is lightweight, robust and user friendly yet small enough to fit in a backpack. You can connect any smart device anywhere and anytime.
A scenario more common than you think, is that most smartphone applications data usage settings will automatically allow for network access through mobile data and Wi-Fi data. Data hungry applications running in the background can consume valuable data and rack up new charges very quickly if the application access to Wi-Fi on the device hasn’t been switched off.
A real-life example of this happening was when a recent customer of AST Networks Australia brought a Thales MissionLINK terminal with a 150MB Iridium Certus data plan to access online banking and send emails whilst away on a three-month trip driving through the outback in Australia. Within thirty minutes of connecting their device to the terminal the customer started receiving alerts that they had used over 80% of their plan usage.
The frustrated and confused customer called AST Networks' 24/7 Global Customer Support Team to establish how they had already used most of their monthly allowance so quickly. Using AST Networks' free INTEGRA See solution, our Global Customer Support Team was able to identify that the customer had used a data hungry real-time entertainment application, the application in question was Spotify. Spotify had used the Wi-Fi connection on the customer's device to update without the customer knowing, using 133.88MB of their 150MB plan in less than thirty minutes.
To prevent any further occurrences whilst in a more vulnerable situation in the outback, the customer subscribed to INTEGRA Control to control the applications used over their satellite connection. , by allowing usage limits to be set for individual categories. INTEGRA Control can send alerts and notifications to alert customers when they are nearing, or have reached their pre-applied limits, therefore, improving the efficiency of communications and saving valuable data.
INTEGRA See displaying the customer's usage information
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Comms & Bandwidth Management
Our unique cloud-based asset management system has been built for performance optimisation. Working with the maritime industry, we offer solutions that help you manage assets effectively, whilst keeping operational costs low.
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Our Bandwidth Management solution, INTEGRA, is the smartest way to manage your data, from anywhere in the world.
Read moreHybrid Connectivity Solutions
AST Networks hybrid solutions have been specifically designed to seamlessly combine diverse communication channels, satellite and cellular, into a robust, secure hybrid network reducing communication issues whether in port, nearshore, or far at sea
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