TC appointed M2M DP

24.11.2011

At the recent Inmarsat Conference in Barcelona, TC were appointed as Inmarsat's Direct Distribution Partner for their M2M solutions.

Inmarsat's BGAN M2M, due to be released in February 2012, is ideally suited for high frequency, very low latency data reporting. BGAN M2M will prove extremely attractive for monitoring fixed assets such as pipelines and oil well heads or backhauling electricity consumption data within a utility.

For more information on the BGAN M2M click here.

TC congratulate the GHR Honda team for their first and second place in the Australasian Safari 2011

30.9.11 - AUSTRALASIAN SAFARI 2011 - Leg 7

GHR Honda rider Todd Smith's early stranglehold on the Australasian Safari proved to be decisive as he claimed his first outright victory in the race on Friday 30 September in Kalgoorlie. Leading the contest from day one, Todd had ridden a calculated race and enjoyed a trouble free run aboard his GHR developed CRF450X to finish with a 20 minute lead. His younger brother Jacob Smith finished in second place overall to make it the best possible combination for the GHR, for Honda and for the Condobolin Smith family.

Rider comments:
Todd Smith: "It feels great to finally be on top. I've learned a lot in the last two years and most of all you have to start well to finish well in this race. I put my head down and rode smart in the first two stages to lead by a few minutes. From there I rode just hard enough to stay in front but with enough care to stay safe. My body feels 100% after this one, whereas every other year I've gone home with injuries. This has been a fairytale podium. To have my little brother Jacob in second and our good mate Rod Faggotter in third, I just couldn't have asked for more!"

Jacob Smith: "Obviously I race to win and I would have liked to win this time, but it was Todd's turn this year - he rode an immaculate race. All the work that I put in on and off the bike this year has paid dividends. Rod (Faggotter) joked when he and I were at the start line on Leg 2 behind Todd that it would be brilliant if we finished in this order. I would have liked it if some of the other title contenders made it to the end, but we know that this race is rarely won on in the last day or two. The Safari is normally won in the first four days so I can easily say that Todd put himself in the perfect position early on and made all the right choices from that point onwards. I'm immensely proud of the way he ran it and that we could go one-two. With Rod in third, I really couldn't share this with two finer blokes. After everything that has happened with passing of Glenn Hoffmann's father, there's no better way to give him, his family and the GHR crew a lift."

Comment from Glenn Hoffmann:
"This month has been an emotional roller coaster for my family. However, in terms of the team this result has been really, really good for everyone. The boys controlled this race from the very beginning and I saw a level of maturity that shows just how much they have grown. They played the game but always kept some in reserve, and they worked together. I'd like to point out that everyone did this without me. Obviously I wasn't there, but this result has proven that I don't need to be. They all knew what they had to do and they followed through with it perfectly. I'd spoken to Jake Young three weeks before and I had asked him to be team manager in anticipation of things happening at home so when the time came I left town not at all concerned. My wife Linda and I do so much work on this before the event, but once it's actually started I'm the least important person. That's the way we've set it up - the mechanics all know their roles. As part of the growth planned for this company I do need to step back and rely on my crew, so to have everything work so well was no surprise. With this core group, if we can get the funding then there is huge potential for us overseas."

GHR rider placings at race end:
1st - #2 Todd Smith - 27:35:27
2nd - #6 Jacob Smith - 27:55:31
10th - #27 David Geeves - 31:01:12
13th - #35 Charlie Ball - 33:51:06
20th - #40 Stuart Bowen - 37:22:32
21st - #25 Don Lark - 37:38:40

TC Communications assisted GHR by supplying them with BGAN's and IsatPhones to keep their legions of fans up to date through their safari's

For more information on GHR Honda's Australasian Safari campaign see the web site and blog at http://ghrhonda.dirtbike.com.au/blog

The changing face of satellite communications

TC Communications' CEO Todd McDonell interviewed on Sky News about the changing face of satellite communications.
Check the video out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq5kYMZQOms

Saltmotions Joel Coleman interviewed in the Weekend Australian Magazine

LITTLE BLACK BOOK
JOEL Coleman travels to remote destinations as an experienced ocean photographer and surf guide. He is an ambassador for TC Communications. More: saltmotion.com; allsatphones.com.

Desperate to get back to: The 600km stretch of coast south of Santiago in southern Chile, which has some of the best waves in the world, including Punta de Lobos, a left-hand point break. The scenery is spectacular and the wildlife amazing.

Favourite surf spot: Although I travel the world, there is no place like home -- Queenscliff on Sydney's northern beaches.

Must visit: The Caroline Islands -- a tiny atoll southwest of Hawaii and northeast of PNG -- and particularly easternmost Kosrae Island, one of the last untouched gems in the Pacific.

Perfect place for indulgence: Capella Lodge on Lord Howe Island, and not just for fine dining and spa treatments. Try walking, swimming, diving and cycling for active ways to work off gourmet meals.

Ultimate eco-adventure: Solwata surf camp in the Solomons sits on stilts on a man-made coral island on Lau Lagoon. The waves are world-class, the scenery even better.

Favourite travel website: Perhaps surprisingly, Facebook. I have been invited into people's homes, organised lifts for excess baggage and received priceless information on surf breaks.

Best-spent travel dollars: My satellite phone, an IsatPhone Pro, that works anywhere in the world and only costs 75c a minute, which is much cheaper than global roaming.

TC Communications are Finalists in this years ARN IT Industry Award.

Recognition of the business initiative in the promotion of the Isatphone Pro in Australia

Now in their fifth year, the ARN IT Industry Awards are arguably the most prestigious accolades available to companies and individuals across the Australian IT community. This year, ARN received over 180 company and individual nominations, so competition was tough.

 TC Communications is pleased to announce that we have received notification of our success in being named as a finalist in the Telecommunication category of these prestigious awards. The awards will be announced at the Hilton Hotel, Sydney on the 22nd of September.  As 2011 is TC Communications 20th year in business, we consider it a wonderful piece of synergy that the theme for this year's awards are "Channel Strong for 20 years’" and that the ARN Magazine is also celebrating it's 20th anniversary.

The 'allsatphone" campaign has seen the Isatphone Pro become TC's most successful product launch to date - and all this within three months of the launch! TC Communications CEO, Todd McDonell, comments on the finalist nomination "The TC team is inordinately proud of this nomination as it vindicates our strongly held belief that in order to fully understand the vagaries of the local market place, Inmarsat needed to appoint an indigenous Distribution Partner.  By being appointed an Inmarsat DP in May of this year, TC has been able to combine the market knowledge we have acquired over the past 20 years of doing business in the region, with the expertise of the team in regards to IT, communications, marketing and customer service, to break into a new market for satellite communications in Australia. We have also been able to achieve this at a market-friendly price."  

Mr McDonell adds "the feedback we have received from our hundreds of IsatPhone Pro customers to date has ranged from amazement at the technology itself through to gratitude for the initiatives we have undertaken to ensure that this technology is made as user-friendly as is required to meet the demands of this new market. TC (and allsatphones) customers can always rest assured that no matter the complexity of the product or the value of the sale, they are always welcome to contact us or drop in in person and we guarantee they will receive the sort of service upon which we have built this business.  This is the security that our longevity and success as a leading Australian communication company brings.  Yet with our focus on innovation across all areas, we are also adept in implementing strategies which adapt to the changing IT/Telecommunication environment."

TC Communications congratulates Grey Nomads Photo Competition Winner, Gary Duncan, on his beautiful entry and presents him with an IsatPhone Pro.

Now Gary can enjoy his 'magnificent solitude' knowing that his IsatPhone Pro will keep him connected to home - from anywhere in Australia and the world.

When TC Communications first launched the IsatPhone Pro into the Australian market earlier this year it proved to be a game changer for the remote traveller market.  At the bargain price of  $659 and featuring a prepaid coupon which lasts for up to 2 years -  allowing you to make calls at far less than a dollar a minute  from anywhere in the world -  it finally offered travellers a phone that could be thrown in the glovebox and used when on the road - without the expense of ongoing monthly subscription rates.  

With the interest the Isatphone generated in this adventure sector, there was perfect synergy in TC teaming up with the good folk at The Grey Nomads Website  to offer the IsatPhone Pro as a prize in their 'Seeing Red" photo competition.  This competition was won by Gary Duncan with his beautiful photo entitled "Broome" which was taken at Cable Beach - an iconic grey nomad location.  Competition judge, Steve Jones commented "I think the image is a worthy winner...the colours are just so vivid and the red/purple/pink glow just pervades the whole image.  Magnificent."
Gary popped in to the TC office this week to collect his prize and receive a quick brief on all the features of his newest gadget and how to get the most out of this satellite link to friends and family.  

Gary commented on his win, "when I saw that the first prize to the photo competition was an IsatPhone Pro, donated by TC Communications, I knew I had to enter and try to win this highly sought after prize.  I have travelled around Australia twice - solo - and have recently travelled to Perth from Sydney via Mt Gambier and return.  These journeys have seen me complete more than 50 000 km on my own, towing my caravan. I was quite often in areas with no reception on my 3G mobile phone and wondered what I would do if I had any problems, or came across someone else with problems, as there was no way that I could contact anyone to seek assistance.  On many occasions I would seek the less travelled road, or select an area to camp where no other campers were.  Sometimes solitude is magnificent, especially after working and living in Sydney all my life, 26  years of that as a Police Officer (now retired).  Now I have this fantastic prize I will have absolutely no concern in being able to help myself out of a problem, or to help another traveller who may need some assistance with urgent communications.
 
It will also give my children the ability to contact me no matter where I may be in this wonderful country, unlike before when I was "incommunicado" for a couple of weeks at a time.  I sincerely thank Cindy from the Grey Nomads website and TC Communications for their generous donation of this fabulous and very important prize."

Gary now joins the growing ranks of 'adventurers' that TC have supplied with an IsatPhone Pro and who can now embark on their journeys into Australia (and the world's) most remote and beautiful locations secure in the knowledge that their loved ones are just a phone call away.  

Win an IsatPhone Pro

To celebrate the launch of the new ten part series ROAM, a travel show about destinations not found in your average guidebook, National Geo Adventure are giving away an IsatPhone Pro.

Follow this link to their website to enter
http://natgeotv.com.au/win/entryform.aspx?id=61

Universal Communications

http://businessflyer.com.au/index.php/2011/07/universal-communications/

19th July  2011

One of the biggest problems faced by business travellers is the availability of an affordable, reliable communications link back home. Australian telcos have some of the highest roaming charges in the world and you are often unaware of this until you return home and see the bill. This problem becomes even more significant when your business travel takes you to some of the ‘less popular’ locations…where the lack of a secure telecommunications infrastructure presents a host of OH&S risks.

Earlier this year, the Inmarsat IsatPhone Pro was released in Australia and it has proven a game changer for the traveller market. With call costs of just 75c + GST per minute from anywhere in the world, not only is it cheaper than most roaming rates, it is often cheaper than a standard cellular pre-paid plan. Satellite technology has become so affordable nowadays that the phone can be purchased outright for just $599 + gst and prepaid coup ons are valid for two years which means you can just keep the phone credit till you need it and then put it away again until your next trip.

Designed for anyone, anywhere

IsatPhonePRO offers satellite telephony with Bluetooth for hands free use, voicemail, text and email messaging. The IsatPhonePRO is an easy to use handheld phone which provides peace of mind when you are many kilometres from anywhere, it has the longest battery life with up to 100hours standby time, GPS location data can be looked up or sent in a
text message.

The IsatPhonePRO is an essential part of any traveller’s kit. Whether you are travelling for business or pleasure it is small enough to have on hand for a call back home to the family or for the professional users in government, media, aid, oil and gas, mining and construction sectors – to ensure that your employees conditions comply with OH&S obligations.

Purpose built

IsatPhonePRO has been optimised to deliver the best performance over the world’s most advanced mobile satellite network. It is available on a global basis over the three Inmarsat-4 satellites, which have an operational lifetime into the 2020s.

For more information, please visit www.tc.com.au

Australian Geographic Society use IsatPhone Pro in El Questro Wilderness Park

Letter of thanks from Rebecca Baker AGS

28th June 2011

On behalf of the Australian Geographic Society I just want to thank you for the use of the fantastic the IsatPhonePRO!

AGS scientific expedition’s base camp was located within El Questro Wilderness Park, 70 km west of Kununurra and many of the gorges we needed to visit were 20-30 km out from base, which meant our expedition would not have been possible without reliable communications. I had many comments from the expedition members about how compact and advanced the phone looks! It was a pleasure to use and I am so glad we had it on hand on many occasions.

A news story of the expedition is online (http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/society/emma-gorge-scientific-expedition-2011.htm ) and the story will appear in issue #105 of Australian Geographic magazine and the September-October issue of Outdoor magazine. Gemma Black from 4x4 magazines will also be putting a product review in the September issue of 4x4.

Thank you again for your help in the lead up to the expedition and for the excellent phone!

Kind regards,
Rebecca Baker

Society Administrator
Australian Geographic

TC Communications first Australia owned company to be appointed direct Inmarsat Distribution Partner

TC Exhibit at Sanctuary Cove Boat Show

20/05/2011- TC will once again be at the Sanctuary Cove Boat Show. This year the big focus is on the new IsatPhone Pro, a revolution in the Sat Phone field.

We will be at Stand 91.

IsatPhone Pro proves invaluable during Queensland cyclone

09-02-2011 - Emergency services responding to Cyclone Yasi, which devastated Australia's Queensland coast during the night of 2 February, are receiving praise from around the world.

One life was lost as the category-five storm tore into the state, but overall damage was less than expected.

Preparations by both residents and state officials meant that no other serious injuries were reported, although two people were reported missing in the town of Tully, where 90 per cent of buildings were damaged.

IsatPhone invaluable
The emergency services, as well as state and community officials in the cyclone's path, were relying on IsatPhone Pro handsets provided by Inmarsat partner TC Communications, based in New South Wales.

The handsets proved invaluable in helping co-ordinate their response both while Cyclone Yasi tracked across Queensland, and during the subsequent clean-up.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs), government departments and aid organisations are benefiting from a new initiative to support relief efforts which was launched by Inmarsat following the recent floods in Australia and Brazil.

Supply of handsets
Inmarsat has offered substantial rebates on the purchase of up to 400 IsatPhone Pro handsets by such organisations. The handsets are being supplied via its distribution partners.

Diana Minglis, from Australian-based Inmarsat partner TC Communications, said: "Inmarsat's offer to aid agencies, NGOs and government departments is very generous and we have supplied the phones to various departments for flood and cyclone efforts."

International media teams covering the cyclone story used BGAN terminals to send stories, still photos and videos back to their news desks whilst local media networks aided considerably in the preparation and clean-up efforts by broadcasting live via BGAN during the cyclone.

24-hour network
Their graphic reports showed hundreds of luxury yachts thrown into a pile along a marina, roofs ripped off houses and their contents scattered, huge trees toppled into buildings, and banana crops decimated by an invisible hand systematically slicing through every trunk.

Inmarsat's 24-hour network operations centre and customer service teams ensured that media and other customers using BGAN experienced high levels of reliability, availability and performance during the emergency.

"Our media clients have been using their BGANs around the clock for most of January when Queensland was first hit by devastating floods, and streaming has been going crazy as news is going live to air 24/7," added Diana Minglis.

Inmarsat's new global handheld phone, IsatPhone Pro, became available in Australia for the first time in December and has also been a critical link for TC's media clients who purchased the phones in bulk to deal with the increased number of reporters in flood damaged zones.

TC Sponsors Saltmotion

Saltmotion is a website/gallery/surf tour service which travels the world in search of the perfect wave. Joel Coleman is the photographer and 'tour guide' of these 'surfing safaris' and has been using BGAN from TC to send back his daily photos and updates from the remote locations he visits in search of these waves for the past year. We are so in love with his work that we have decided to sponsor Saltmotion in 2011. We hope you enjoy Joel's pictures as we post them to our website. We will try and catch up with him in between trips to see how his BGAN terminal has changed the way he does business. In the meantime, enjoy this photo of Joel in his current office in Lombok!.

Check out Saltmotion at www.saltmotion.com.au

***STOP PRESS*** INMARSAT ANNOUNCES COMMERCIAL INTRODUCTION OF ISATPHONE PRO IN AUSTRALIA AND TC COMMUNICATION HAS STOCK

This Christmas TC supports the work of Barnardos Australia

December 2010
This Christmas TC supports the work of Barnardos Australia and the children and young people with whom they care for.


TC Comms would like to take this opportunity to wish all our customers and their families a very happy and safe Christmas.  In lieu of corporate gifts this year, TC have chosen to make a donation to charity on behalf of all our wonderful clients. TC often donates money, time and expertise to a variety of charities and this year we have chosen to support Barnardos as our Christmas gift.


Barnardos is a charity that is very close to the minds of the team here at TC and we have members of staff who have provided respite and permanent foster care for Barnardos over the years.  In our support of the charity, the children and our team members we hope that this corporate donation can help Barnardos in the important work they do with disadvantaged Australian children, young people and their families.
 
More information about Barnardos can be found on their website www.barnardos.org.au. We encourage all our customers and suppliers to join us in believing in children by supporting this worthwhile charity.

TC Communications accredited as Australia's first Global VSAT Forum (GVF) Training and VSAT Installation Examination Centre.

November 17, 2010 For Immediate Release
TC Communications, Australia's specialist satellite communications company, is pleased to announce their accreditation as Australia's first GVF Training Centre and the certification of Satellite Engineer, Peter Wade, as a GVF Certified VSAT Installation Examiner.

"'GVF Certification was established by the international satellite broadband industry to uphold service standards while meeting unprecedented growth in demand,' said David Hartshorn, Secretary General of the U.K.-based trade association. 'This growth is nowhere more in evidence than in Australia, and TC Communications is to be commended for their leadership in this important training endeavour.'" TC Communications is at the forefront of technological innovations in the satellite communications industry in the SE Asian region – for both Fixed (FSS) and Mobile
Satellite Services (MSS) - and views this accreditation as a natural extension of the qualifications it deems necessary in order to maintain this leadership position. It adds to an already impressive resume which includes being the only Inmarsat Gold Service Provider in region; QA qualified to AS/NZS ISO 9001:200; CISCO certified; a Member Defence Industrial Security Program and a Member Defence Recognised Supplier Scheme.

Having recently undertaken major renovations and extensions to cope with ongoing business growth, the refurbished Satellite Training Centre at TC's Sydney headquarters provides the perfect environment in which to conduct all forms of hands-on VSAT training and accreditation and is already being utilised by current training clients for a wide variety
of MSS, VSAT and WGS training courses.

"'TC has provided numerous training courses for a wide variety of customers over many years in both fixed and mobile satellite systems" comments Todd McDonell, CEO of TC Communications. 'The GVF recognition confirms to the wider satellite industry that TC's trainers have been certified by a preeminent external organization as the best people to provide training on VSAT based satellite systems'".

For further information contact:
Diana Minglis, Marketing Manager TC Communications
Ph: +612 97145100 Mob: +61 (0) 417 432 482
Email: dianam@tc.com.au web: www.tc.com.au

Introducing TC’s new Remote Broadband Network (RBN) Trailer

Do you send your staff to remote locations with an unreliable communications link?
Are your data transfers from site laboriously slow or ridiculously expensive?
Do you need reliable back-up comms in your risk management plan?

If you have answered yes to any or all of the above then TC’s Remote Broadband Network (RBN) VSAT is your answer to providing just what you need to ensure that you receive your time-critical data efficiently and to ensure that your employees conditions comply with OH&S obligations.
High Density Voice
The RBN includes TC’s SatPBX, which provides you with a full remote office capability including up to 40 Voice lines and 50 extensions, fax, EFTPOS and broadband data connectivity.
TC’s RBN VSAT solutions are available in a range of packages on a standard portable trailer-mounted system. TC has three pre-engineered solutions available with a 1.2 meter dish. However if these do not suit your requirements then we can design the right one specifically for you!*

The Bottle Boat and The Bark share both a berth at the Australian National Maritime Museum and a link to the world via Inmarsat Fleet BroadBand

As The Plastiki ends her voyage, the HMB Endeavour prepares to embark on a circumnavigation of Australia fitted out with the latest in satellite communications technology by TC Communications

The Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney, has been a hub of activity recently with the conclusion of one important voyage and the announcement of the launch of another. As The Plastiki concluded her Pacific crossing to raise awareness of the blight of single-use plastics on our oceans, the replica HMB Endeavour announced a historic circumnavigation of Australia. The common link between this 'bottle boat' of the future and Bark of the past is their ability to communicate their message to the modern world with the aid of the Inmarsat network.

The Plastiki arrived in Darling Harbour on Monday 26th July. She is a truly unique vessel that has been engineered almost entirely from plastic bottles - which provided 68% of the vessel's buoyancy. The sail is hand-made from recycled PET cloth and the mast is created from aluminium irrigation pipe. Her mission in this Pacific crossing has been to draw attention to the fact that waste - primarily plastic - can be transformed into a valuable resource. The Plastiki has captured the world's imagination and has proved a remarkably effective medium to convey the message of the 4 R's:RE-duce, RE-use, RE-cycle and RE-fuse.

Millions of people have been made aware of the message via the Inmarsat Fleetbroadband terminal onboard, which was used extensively for crew welfare, social networking, weather updates and the never-ending cycle of live media interviews which all helped to spread the word. Attracting a worldwide audience, over a million people followed the journey on the Plastiki website, with a further 7000 people following on Facebook. Media interviews conducted live from the boat reached millions of viewers. As an education and information tool, the Inmarsat FBB proved invaluable in getting the Plastiki message to the world.

It is incredible to realise that PLASTIC wasn't even invented when Captain Cook sailed into Botany Bay back in 1770. Yet, in the 100 short years since its invention, we now see a staggering 6.8 million kgs of rubbish dumped into the world's oceans each year. Federal Arts Minister Peter Garrett announced that the HM Bark Endeavour will circumnavigate Australia on a 13 month voyage starting in April 2011 - albeit not in as pristine waters as those Cook sailed in.

The Endeavour will stop at 18 ports along the way and will pose as a public museum in 15 locations throughout Australia. The option is open for 36 paying crew members to augment the professional crew and work side by side to sail around Australia. Whilst the voyage will be true to 18th Century tall-ship traditions in terms of sailing and navigation, the communications will be the latest the 21Century has to offer thanks to the solution designed and installed by TC Communications.

As an accurate replica of Cook's original, the HMB Endeavour was not provisioned with the space for modern day communications equipment and thus TC's initial site survey was an interesting one. As a live museum, the Endeavour's communications capabilities must be hidden from all visitors and open to visitors 7 days a week. But despite these challenges, the TC engineering team have managed to provide a hidden yet permanent, modern day capability to the entire ship's crew and sea-going passengers for both operational and recreational use. The Endeavour is now connected to the modern world with a data connection to the internet via both 3G and Satellite. When she sails out of 3G range she will have seamless access to broadband connections via a Thrane and Thrane FBB500 transmitting through the Inmarsat I4 satellite network - the most robust global satellite network in the world. This communications solution automatically switches to the most economical connection using Satcom Gadget's Least Cost Routing Solution. Furthermore, the Endeavour's communication system has been future-proofed with a third connection option via wireless WAN, if required.

Simultaneous voice and fax applications are also available thus ensuring the Captain is provided with a modern, reliable communications solution anywhere, anytime. Crew welfare is also ensured with the crew having access to the Internet and social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs to chart their journey using Wi-Fi LAN access from all decks on the vessel.

This connectivity will also allow The Endeavour to fulfil an educational function by providing video footage, diary entries, interviews and pictures from the vessel to be downloaded directly into schools, websites, museums and the like as she sails around Australia. By harnessing the very latest in communications capabilities provided by TC Communications, the HMB Endeavour will be able to communicate with the modern world whilst retracing the steps of the past.

TC represents Inmarsat in welcoming the Plastiki to Sydney

The Plastiki - a boat made of 12,500 plastic bottles, finally sailed into Darling Harbour on Monday 26th July - completing an epic journey commenced in San Francisco over four months ago and TC Communications staff were there to meet her and field any questions on the Inmarsat satellite technology on board.

The Plastiki expedition was commenced with a view to raise global awareness about plastic in the world's ocean. With Inmarsat as the Global Communications Sponsor - this goal of raising awareness became a reality. Inmarsat's satellite services were essental to the logistics and safety of the Plastiki's journey and helped the crew carry their message to the world.  Being able to conduct media interviews, store and forward video images and blog updates about the Plastiki expedition built a community of people who have followed the crew in real time via social networks including Facebook and Twitter.

To find out more about the The Plastiki head down to the Australian National Maritime Museum where she is moored next to the replica of Captain Cook's Endeavour (watch this space for more information on The Endeavour!).  Don't forget to visit the Plastiki website and take the Plastiki pledge www.theplastiki.com

Todd Blows The TC Vuvuzela As We Win Inmarsat's Ultimate Sporting Prize
13/07/10

As a result of excellence in the provisioning and support of Inmarsat 4 services, TC Communications recently won the ultimate sporting prize - tickets to the FIFA World Cup Final in South Africa. Todd McDonell, our CEO, has been dutifully sending back a pictorial account of his adventures in South Africa.  Check them out on TC's Blog

Todd Speaking at Communicasia tomorrow
15/06/10

TC Communications CEO, Mr Todd McDonell, will be presenting a paper at CommunicAsia 2010 "Integrating Applications for Vertical Markets".  If you are free at 3:40 pm on Wednesday 16th June sit in on his presentation in Conference Hall A for a run-down on the latest applications and technologies in satellite communications and how you can use these to decrease your costs of business.

16th June, Conference Hall A

SYNOPSIS:
Integrating Applications for Vertical Markets

Aren’t Satellite Communications expensive?
This seems to be a perception held by many people who don’t normally use satellite comms and yet, with the right applications, using a satellite connection can often save people considerable money. Whether the application saves on an aircrafts patrol hours, reduces the amount of travel a business incurs as part of checking its machinery or enables multiple prepaid Internet sessions over one, small maritime satellite link the benefits that a satellite connection brings can produce a substantial business payback before any other benefits such as safety are included. This presentation will provide real world examples across a number of different industries where satellite communications based solutions are delivering measurable benefits in the air, on land and at sea.

Todd McDonell, CEO, TC Communications Pty Ltd

Conference programme link: http://www.communicasia.com/satellite_communications.html

Speaker's bio link:  http://www.communicasia.com/speakers_profile.htm

Aussie company to watch

30/03/10

Rust Report Date: 26 March 2010

TC COMMUNICATIONS is a satellite communications specialist that builds primarily mobile satellite communications systems for military and government customers as well as customers in markets such as media, mining, and oil and gas, as well as aid agencies. The company is Inmarsat's only gold accredited service provider in the Asia/Pacific region.

TC Communications equips Victorian authorities with real-time satellite data

17/03/10

Fire fighting aircraft given access to global Inmarsat satellite network

Sydney, Australia March 17, 2010 – Fire-spotting aircraft managed by Victoria’s State Aircraft Unit (SAU) have been given the alibility to share to real-time data on fire activity using satellite data feeds.

The new solution provides commanders at any of the 43 incident control centres throughout the state with access to real-time snapshots of fire activity, enabling more effective fire fighting strategies. The solution also provides simultaneous voice and data communications at broadband speeds direct from the plane into headquarters.

The new functionality follows the deployment of Australia’s first SwiftBroadband Lite terminals on the aircraft from Australian satellite communications specialist TC Communications, which gives the SAU access to Inmarsat’s I-4 satellite network.

TC Communications is an Inmarsat Gold Partner and provides Australian businesses with access to Inmarsat’s global satellite communications network. In December 2009, the company installed the first of the SwiftBroadband Lite terminals into SAU’s Super King Air B200 plane. The second terminal was installed in late February into SAU’s Cessna 404 Titan plane.

“For us, this means providing regular real-time snapshots of a fire zone – regardless of how remote the location,” says Adam Damen, Technical Systems Specialist, SAU. “The system has also been designed to allow for remote access to fire data which means we can assist other regions with their fire fighting capabilities.

“We recently sent one of our planes to Tasmania to assist with a small bushfire north west of Hobart. We were able to fly down, transmit the data and fly back to the mainland without ever having to land the plane – a huge success both in terms of the cost of the mission and the capability provided.”

As well as mapping fire activity, Victoria’s fire agencies also use the technology to assist in planning for resources needed to fight fires.

“In January, we responded to a call for assistance in the Mallee region, which borders South Australia and New South Wales in Victoria’s North West,” says Damen. “We were able to assist the fire fighting authorities by mapping the area they had water bombed to see how effective it was in containing the fire. We were also able to provide information to help the authorities plan for resources needed to continue fighting the fire the next day.”

Damen says that aircraft have played an important role in fire fighting for well over two decades, and while fire fighting technology has come a long way over the years, the catastrophic events surrounding the February 2009 bushfires in Victoria have required new approaches to firefighting.

“I recall a period in the 1980s when firefighting planes would fly over a fire zone and print the images onto spools of paper, which would then be interpreted and the findings put into a tube and dropped onto an empty cricket pitch for pick-up.

“In the 2000s, we were able to transfer the fire data via radio modems, which was fine until we got new planes and our flying speeds were faster than the communications system,” he adds. “The solution then was to orbit in circles over the radio sites until the data was transferred, or land and deliver the data via USB before taking off again to fly back over the fire site. Not only was this very expensive in terms of the cost of each sortie, but it was also costly in terms of the age of the data, which was often a few hours old by the time it reached the command posts for analysis.”

The launch of Inmarsat’s I-4 network in February 2009 delivered satellite mobile broadband services to the whole of Australia, however aeronautical satellite communications have traditionally been a luxury only available to larger aero platforms and budgets.

TC Communications provided SAU with a solution based on the Thrane & Thrane Aero SB-LITE terminal, which is approximately half the size and weight of traditional satellite communications systems. This gives small-to mid-size aircraft access to the type of technology which was previously unavailable due to the size of their platforms.

Todd McDonell, CEO of TC Communications, says providing satellite communications capabilities to small aircraft will assist Australian authorities manage the country’s unique environmental factors that cause catastrophic natural disasters.

“We have had great success over the years in installing aircraft communications systems on larger aircraft like those used by the Australian Border Protection Command,” says McDonell. “However the current advances in technology allow us to take satellite communications capabilities to a much broader market and deliver the benefits to the wider community.

“As an immense landmass with many remote regions, small-to mid-size aircraft are the preferred aero platform in Australia, and the potential for productivity and economy of this type of aircraft has improved significantly with the ability to install mobile broadband capabilities.”

“The Victorian SAU project and the solution provided by TC Communications is the perfect example of how Inmarsat and SwiftBroadband benefits a much greater range of aircraft operators than has ever been possible before with previous generations of satellite services,” says David Coiley, Inmarsat’s Aeronautical Business Director. “TC Communications has delivered a state-of-the-art solution for SAU, fully exploiting SwiftBroadband’s higher data rates and smaller aircraft equipment.”

The SAU is an initiative of the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE). The SAU provides specialist aviation resources to satisfy fire and land management objectives in the state of Victoria. The SAU maintained a fleet of 40 aircraft in the 2009/10 fire season, including one DC10 air tanker, two Erickson Aircranes, and the two infrared scanning aircraft – the Super King Air B200 and Cessna 404 Titan.

About TC Communications
TC Communications is the pre-eminent Satellite Communications specialist in the SE Asian region. An Australian owned and managed company, TC is the only Gold Accredited Inmarsat Service Provider in the region and is a Quality Assured Company with membership to the TIO. Well recognised as being on the leading edge of technological advances in mobile satellite communications across air land and sea, TC has vast experience in the aeronautical satcom market and has built up an international reputation due to the success of its solutions on systems such as those belonging to Australia's Border Protection

New Mobi Site

16/02/10

TC has just launched our new site for mobile devices. Check it out on your Blackberry, I-Phone etc, at http://www.tc.com.au/Mini/index.htm

TC Sponsor Entrant in World Solar Challenge

25/11/09

TC Sponsor the 'Southern Aurora' in the World Solar Challenge These are photos of the TC Communications logo on our solar car. The logo is also on the second entry 'Southern Aurora' David Fewchuk said. "We had shocking luck just 3 hours into the race when we had a massive blowout on our main car causing a front suspension breakage. Our second car had a fault develop in a motor controller. In both cases we lost 6 hours having to go forward to Katherine to find a workshop open on a Sunday afternoon where we could make some new parts.

The following morning we finally got to Katherine in positions 30 and 31.

TC announced as Inmarsat's only Gold accredited Service Provider in the AsiaPac region

12/11/09

At the Inmarsat Global Partner conference in Berlin yesterday, TC Communications was announced as Australia's (SE Asia's) only Gold Accredited Service Provider. The accreditation process was exhaustive and included competency requirements in Customer Service, Technical Support and Sales. Inmarsat has introduced this accreditation process so as to ultimately enhance end-user customer satisfaction and enable end-users to make a more informed choice in regards to Inmarsat service providers. TC is very proud to have been named as the region's only Gold Service Provider and believe that the extra benefits and access to the Inmarsat network that this accreditation gives us will greatly benefit our clients.