Challenge Networks, a private LTE and 5G network expert, will be acquired by Vocus.
The acquisition, according to a statement from Vocus, will enable it to create LTE and 5G networks for clients and provide billable services so they don’t have to pay for the equipment themselves.
The resources industry, a sizable clientele of Challenge Networks, has enthusiastically adopted private mobile connectivity as its operating technology.
Western Australia, Queensland, South Australia, and the Northern Territory are resource-rich regions of Australia, and the business obtained the rights to 1800MHz spectrum in rural Australia in 2016.
Challenge Networks targets hospitals, universities, ocean vessels, ports, manufacturing, and logistics facilities in addition to mines.
According to Vocus Chief Executive for Enterprise & Government Andrew Wildblood, “Through this acquisition, Vocus will be able to provide fibre or LEO satellite connectivity to the perimeter of a site, and then through a private LTE network provide campus-wide wireless connectivity for applications like autonomous vehicles, IoT sensors, building management systems, voice calls, push-to-talk devices, smartphones, tablets, and computers anywhere on the site.
Including site assessment, spectrum planning, network design, RF engineering, vendor selection, procurement, delivery, acceptance testing, continuing service operation, and network assurance, Vocus will now provide full turnkey capabilities for private mobile networks.
Simon Lardner, a co-founder of Challenge Networks, will join the Vocus company together with the rest of the Challenge Networks team, while Jack Smyth, a veteran of the wireless industry, will leave the company.
