Rendering of Telesat’s Lightspeed LEO constellation. Photo: Telesat

Telesat has teamed up with Vocus, an Australian digital infrastructure provider, that will see Vocus build Australia’s first Telesat Lightspeed landing station. Telesat announced the deal, June. 10.

Telesat is ramping up activity as it prepares to begin launching its Lightspeed Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites in late 2026. Telesat recently announced in its latest results that its LEO backlog is now nearly $1.1 billion Canadian dollars ($803.26 million). The company believes by the end of the year its LEO backlog will exceed its 2024 year-end GEO backlog.

Vocus will construct and operate the new landing station in New South Wales, Australia, and provide fiber connectivity to Telesat’s point of presence (PoP), connecting Telesat’s LEO satellite constellation to terrestrial networks, providing secure, low-latency satellite services across the region.

The long-term agreement also includes Telesat Lightspeed services when the network becomes operational. These services, backed by committed information rates (CIR) and comprehensive service level agreements, will provide resilient, low-latency connectivity for Vocus’ enterprise and government customers. Vocus already has a “substantial” LEO satellite services customer base.

“We’re proud to be partnering with Telesat on establishing its network in Australia. Vocus already has 30 ground stations currently in operation or contracted to be built, demonstrating that our infrastructure provides the critical reliability needed for LEO networks,” Ashley Neale, head of Vocus Space and Wireless Operations, said in a statement.