Case Study

Satellite Internet for Business: How to Stay Connected in Remote Locations

Are you a business owner in rural New Zealand struggling to stay connected? With the wide availability of digital technology, businesses are expected to be online 24/7. While this can be challenging in New Zealand’s more rural areas, satellite internet is helping to bridge the gap.

Greg and Sandy Corbett have been touring the South Island of New Zealand and decided to use Woi Satellite internet for their adventure. Greg has reviewed the product and has uploaded his thoughts on Woi Satellite on his You Tube Channel. 

Would you still use a mobile phone you bought 15 years ago? Probably not. Apps don’t work on old phones because technology is constantly getting faster and more reliable – it’s the same for satellite technology. Satellites have come a long way since Sputnik. Technology has improved hugely, and this has led to much faster internet services via satellite, at a much more affordable price. Richard Broadbridge of WOI outlines some of the common questions he gets about satellite internet with some feedback from rural kiwis who have embraced a faster, more reliable internet service with Woi.

Holidaymakers often talk of wanting to get away from it all, but they don’t always entirely mean it. Deprive them of connectivity, and a remote getaway from the city can quickly start to feel cut off and isolated. People will sleep in sleeping bags. They’ll share showers and cooking facilities. They will happily go without TV. But they don’t like to have no internet. 

Fellet also saw the evolution of satellite technology through his line of work, where streamed content at its infancy was transmitted through ultra-high frequency (UHF) signals. That was also when he realised the unique challenges of the NZ geographical landscape, which makes installing cable and fibre an arduous task for service providers, especially in remote areas that are caught in deep valleys between rivers and mountain ranges, when it becomes nearly impossible. This is where satellite broadband service providers like Woi adds value.

It is hard to imagine how growing a hairy berry, born from woody vine, might require strong and steady bandwidth, but a short conversation with AgroTrust Limited operations manager Carlos Ramirez quickly reveals that fast and reliable internet is essential for gathering information, monitoring conditions and communicating promptly with customers and suppliers – in other words, making sure the operations of his kiwifruit orchard run smoothly.

Leigh and Lynley Johns own and operate Sunset Waterfront Lodge on Great Barrier Island, one hundred kilometres off the coast of Auckand. You can get there by ferry or plane. The thirty minute flight takes you to this hidden gem which attracts tourists who mostly want to connect with and immerse themselves in nature.

If you were to ask Michael Gaunt about fibre, internet speed and connectivity, he would be able to give you the best advice. After all, this former Telecom manager worked on both the Ultra Fast Broadband (fibre) and Rural Broadband projects with Telecom and Vodafone. He is now part of that rural community, to focus on a better quality of life.