When thinking of SatPhone reliability, we realise that there is a satellite way up there that acts like a repeater. Signals between the satphone caller and the receiver pass through a satellite and back down to earth and through various mysterious channels to the person who has been called.

All good but what happens if something goes wrong? Well it certainly has with the Thuraya T3 Satellite which covers Oceania and Australia. It suffered a major failure in May that has permanently put it off the air and with it, all of Pivotel’s Thuraya Satellite Phone services in Australia.

This is from the Thuraya website:

Thuraya Services in Australia were delivered using the Thuraya 3 (T3) Satellite. Thuraya has advised they have suffered a sustained Force Majeure Event which prevents services being delivered in the T3 coverage area which includes Australia. Services are no longer available and are unable to be recovered in the foreseeable future. Pivotel has now suspended all Thuraya services.

What happened?

On the 16th of April, 2024 Thuraya services in Australia became unavailable on the T3 satellite. Thuraya has worked exhaustively with the satellite manufacturer to recover services on the T3 satellite. Thuraya has now determined it is unable to recover the services in Australia using the T3 Satellite and has declared a Force Majeure Event. Thuraya has terminated its agreement with Pivotel to provide Thuraya services under the Force Majeure provisions of that agreement. The operating status of the Thuraya 3 (T3) Satellite was reviewed in 2020 by the satellite manufacturer Boeing, on behalf of Thuraya, to determine its expected operational life. The review included analysis of the satellite’s subsystems and orbital parameters and Boeing concluded that T3 would continue to operate as designed until 2031. Thuraya’s satellite refresh planning intended to replace Thuraya 3 in advance of 2031. Based on this review neither Pivotel nor Thuraya could have reasonably anticipated the Force Majeure event that has occurred.

What does this mean for me?

Your Pivotel Thuraya satellite service has now been suspended with no ongoing cost to you. You will no longer be able to make and receive calls, SMS or data using your Pivotel Thuraya service. You can no longer make Emergency Calls to 000 using your Thuraya satellite phone.

Pivotel Customers can find more information here:
https://www.pivotel.com.au/thuraya-network-closure

Would this happen with HF Radio? Well… NO!

HF Radio is point to point. It will continue to work when all else fails. Yes, this network uses telecommunications to connect to our bases but some of our bases can be manned from the actual base site to keep us on the air in the event of a major communications failure. Some might claim that HF is a dead duck but the failure of the Thuraya T3 satellite, the only one of their satellites that is able serve Australia demonstrates the risks associated with relying only on SatPhone communications.

Don’t be caught with just one means of getting help in an emergency when you are travelling remotely. We recommend to HF radio users that they should also carry a Personal Locator Beacon, registered with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority that can be activated if all else fails. When registering your device, make sure to include VKS-737 as one of your emergency contacts. Also provide your VKS-737 Callsign.

Have the EMERGENCY PLUS App loaded on your mobile phone. You can use it to tell us where you are, even if you have no mobile service available. Just turn on ‘LOCATION’ and Emergency Plus will provide you with accurate coordinates. Your phone will also display WHAT3WORDS that can be passed on to Emergency Services.

What is WHAT3WORDS? Check out this You Tube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4ZBzM3L6ws

Don’t risk your life by being caught short!

Remember also that the 3G Mobile Phone Network is in the process of being shut down, Australia wide. Make sure that you’re not caught with a brick. Contact your phone provider if you’re unsure.