Global Big Data Technologies Centre & The Connectivity Innovation Network attend 76th International Astronautical Congress in Sydney with NBNCo

We arrived in style to showcase:

Thought leadership 

CIN’s whitepaper “Towards Ubiquitous Connectivity in Australia” released in April 2024 outlined the criticality of providing reliable and accessible connectivity for all our citizens, especially in remote and regional areas. Due to our vast landmass, low population density and topographical Australia must embrace an ecosystem of connectivity solutions including non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) such as High-Altitude Platforms (HAPs), and Satellites. The Whitepaper made several calls to government that would enable our nation’s path to ubiquitous connectivity which include:

•        Continue the support of public and private partnership model to invest in local technology innovation

•        Continue to leverage the world-class research capabilities of local universities to nurture the growth of local industry, especially Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs).

•        Prioritise digital inclusion and accessibility for all citizens.

•        Continuous evaluation, adoption of new technologies, and adaptation of connectivity strategies 

Technical Expertise

A sample of antennas designed by the GBDTC for space communications were showcased at our stand. From an analogue beamforming antenna for satellite-to-ground and inter-satellite communications, enabling high data rates and adaptive coverage to a hybrid beamforming antenna combining analogue and digital techniques to achieve optimal balance between performance, scalability and power consumption for next generation satellite payloads and advanced, high-capacity space communication systems.

Impact & Collaboration

Our excellence in electromagnetism, which underpins all wireless communications including satellite, resulted in a successful partnership with NBNCo. Our team provided expert advice which enabled NBNCo to share spectrum between its fixed wireless and Skymuster Geo Satellite Network with minimal interference. 

This also resulted in successful recommendations to Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) on spectrum allocation for 5G mmwave.

Read more about this: https://www.uts.edu.au/case-studies/helping-close-australias-digital-divide 

A huge thank you to CIN Comms & Marketing officer, Lonneke Willems for her beautiful stand design.

This exciting, last-minute opportunity brought together a variety of our colleagues and students from across UTS, who worked together to pull off this successful, once in a lifetime event.  The collegiality, dedication shown by everyone involved, despite heavy workloads and challenges is inspiring!