Myriota wins $5.48 million IoT contract from DIH

The Defence Innovation Hub has awarded a $5.48 million contract to Adelaide-based Myriota Pty Limited to expand its cutting-edge satellite communications network for use by Defence.

“With the federal government last year announcing that it would invest $7 billion on sovereign controlled space assets over the next ten years, the investment by the ADF is an important contract that will leverage Myriota’s cutting edge technology to improve military logistics management, situational awareness, training and battlefield effectiveness,” the company said.

Under the contract, Myriota will use its network of nano-satellites to retrieve data from sensors across hundreds of Defence platforms, forming a global, space-enabled communications network.

The partnership will see military assets tagged with a ruggedised device, and provide secure and private location data through direct-to-orbit technology anywhere on Earth. Military battlefield commanders and logistics teams will have an accurate picture of tagged asset locations, with data to be visualised via a web application as part of the contract, says Myriota.

Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said the contract would contribute to growing a robust, resilient and innovative industrial base for space technologies in Australia.

“Sovereign, space-enabled capabilities are critical to the future of Defence,” she said. “This innovation could enable the secure transfer of Defence data from almost anywhere on Earth.

If successful, the secure, flexible and scalable direct-to-orbit satellite connectivity network, known as the ‘Internet of Military Things’, could deliver increased operational efficiency, safety, and reliability.

“This technology has the potential to be used beyond Defence, with potential impact across almost all sectors of the Australian economy,” Minister Price said. “From mining to remote education, Myriota’s secure satellite communications technologies will provide global connectivity.”

On the same day its Defence Innovation Hub contract was announced, Myriota also launched its Myriota Mouse, a plug and play external antenna custom built for IoT applications.

Satellite connectivity is integral to enabling the successful communication of IoT devices, with many of these industry assets located in – or moving through – areas where traditional connectivity is intermittent or non-existent.

The Myriota Mouse™ provides high performance on the Myriota Network, and is manufactured to meet ingress protection (IP-65) and accelerated weathering (ASTM-G154) standards.