When Cyclone Gabrielle tore through Aotearoa, and again when Cyclone Tam lashed the upper North Island, something became frighteningly clear: traditional mobile networks can go dark when disaster strikes, sometimes for many days.
Power lines collapse. Roads wash out. Cell towers get damaged. This means, in a moment when communication is everything, New Zealanders are cut off. Aotearoa needs a resilient back-up to on-the-ground mobile network, which One NZ Satellite is providing.
Cyclone Gabrielle was a turning point for One NZ. It was the catalyst that accelerated its partnership with SpaceX to bring satellite-to-mobile connectivity to New Zealanders when they need it most. This could be during a widespread disaster, or a personal tragedy, such as a car crash or accident in a state highway mobile blackspot.
One NZ’s collaboration with SpaceX leverages the Starlink satellite network to provide direct-to-mobile text messaging wherever you can see the sky, even when traditional cell towers are down. This service isn’t intended to replace the existing mobile network but acts as a vital safety net, a backup that can save lives during disasters.
“We’re talking about potentially saving lives,” says Joe Goddard, One NZ’s Chief Experience & Commercial Officer.
“Whether it’s a massive cyclone or a solo hiker stuck in the backcountry , this technology gives people a lifeline. Over in the US, during Hurricane Milton and the Los Angeles wildfires, the service came into its own – and more recently, and closer to home, during the Nelson-Tasman flooding.”
Since its launch in December, One NZ customers on an eligible phone and plan have sent more than 2.7 million text messages and counting via satellite.
As Goddard says, “These are messages that otherwise wouldn’t have made it out. Our team has worked incredibly hard to ensure New Zealand was the first country globally to launch a satellite-to-mobile texting service with Starlink, and the benefits are obvious.”
Cyclone Tam: A real-world test
During Cyclone Tam in April, the system faced a significant real-world test. After widespread outages on the traditional mobile network, the One NZ team sprang into action. Within hours, satellite texting was enabled for more than one million customers in the affected North Island regions. Text message traffic surged 500% on the service.
“It was immediate,” says Goddard. “We saw people in areas without traditional mobile coverage coming online via satellite and sending text messages almost instantly. This is exactly why we partnered with Starlink on this truly revolutionary technology.”
But even in the absence of such a disaster, the rapidly growing volume of One NZ text messages being delivered via satellite reveals the extent to which Kiwis live, work and play outside terrestrial coverage.
“Around 40% of Aotearoa doesn’t have traditional mobile coverage. We’ve changed that with satellite texting, and the service continues to improve with message send times on eligible phones now at around 30 seconds on average,” Goddard says.
Lessons learned and the road ahead
Cyclone Tam’s response has given One NZ valuable insights for future emergencies, and more recently, the service was put to good use during flooding in the Nelson-Tasman region, where texts surged 2000% when traditional networks were interrupted in Golden Bay.
The company is now exploring ways to make the service even more accessible by expanding phone compatibility so more New Zealanders on an eligible One NZ mobile plan can connect via satellite. Currently 59 phones can take advantage of satellite texting with an eligible plan.
One NZ is also working with government agencies to explore how to integrate civil defence broadcasts and other emergency notifications into the satellite service, further enhancing its value as a disaster response tool.
Another example of a potentially life-saving application that uses the One NZ Satellite text service is EcoOnline’s StaySafe Lone Worker, provided by innovative Kiwi company Secure Mobility. StaySafe uses One NZ Satellite as a reliable communication channel.
This allows lone workers to access all the safety features of the StaySafe solution wherever they can see the sky, including panic and fall alerts, welfare checks and duress alarms, when outside of the traditional cellular range, without the need for additional hardware.
An extra layer of resilience and safety
As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, the need for robust, resilient communications is only growing. One NZ’s partnership with SpaceX positions the company as a global leader in disaster connectivity. Its experience is already informing telcos in Australia and the US, and the ongoing collaboration with SpaceX ensures that the service will continue to evolve rapidly.
Says Goddard: “The reality is, we’re never going to be able to build on-the-ground digital infrastructure and networks that never fail, no matter how big a battery you put on a cell site. With increasing weather volatility, sometimes fibre or power lines are cut, which can take time to repair.
“Really, if you work in a remote location or support communities during emergencies, then satellite coverage or access via a backup SIM card should be an essential part of your toolkit.”
To find out more visit one.nz/satellite.