[SatNews] Optus has announced a new two-year agreement with global satellite network services provider, ITC Global.

Under the agreement, Optus will provide ITC Global with expanded satellite capacity, equipment hosting, up-linking and downloading services via its major satellite facility, located in the northern Perth suburb of Lockridge, Western Australia. Optus’ Lockridge facility is both a domestic and international gateway for satellite services across Australia and regions to the west, around the Indian Ocean and into Europe.

ITC Global specializes in satellite-based communications for industrial operations in extreme environments, including deep water energy exploration, remote mining and transoceanic shipping and is the world’s market leader in SATCOM networks to the mining industry, and the fastest growing provider to the oil and gas industries. The expanded agreement, which uses one of Optus’ 16-metre C-band antennas, will enable ITC Global to offer communication services to remote and harsh locations within these industries.

Paul Sheridan, Vice President, Optus Satellite, said, “Optus Satellite is Australia’s only satellite operator capable of delivering the scope and reliability of communications required by remote mining, oil and gas industries. The alliance highlights how Optus Satellite is making a difference within the region through vital C-band communication links.”

Chris Hill, ITC Global CTO and MD Asia Pacific, said, “Our services are often the only form of communication available at a site, so we need to offer high availability through well engineered and supported facilities. The Optus Satellite team and the Lockridge Earth station continue to provide us with the levels of reliability and redundancy we absolutely require to satisfy the needs of our customers.”

For further details, please visit the Optus infosite at http://www.optus.com.au/

ITC Global's infosite may be accessed at http://www.itcglobal.com/