The Complete Guide to LEO Satellite Mining Communications (2025 Update)

Table of Contents

1. What is Low Earth Orbit Satellite Technology?
2. How LEO Satellites are Transforming Field Operations
3. Real-time communications for remote mining crews
4. Reliable uplink/downlink for IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things)
5. Digital workflows, remote diagnostics, and teleoperations
6. LEO Compared to Other Technologies
7. LEO Satellite Pros and Cons
8. What the Future Holds
9. Getting Started with LEO
10. The Easiest Way to Get Connected with LEO For Mining
11. Are LEO Autonomous Mining Satellite Networks Right for You?
    

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellites have boomed in popularity in Australia over the last few years, not just for commercial applications but consumer as well. For people across the world, products like Starlink are delivering high-speed internet, even in the furthest corners of the planet. 

So how can mining sites benefit from LEO sats? And is LEO satellite technology even the right choice in the first place? 

This blog post aims to answer all your questions and more, investigating what LEO Satellite technology is, how LEO satellite networks work in Australia, and how it can provide solutions for mining site connectivity. 

LEO satellites are small, lightweight satellites that orbit closer to Earth than traditional geostationary (GEO) satellites. Because of their low altitude, they circle the Earth far quicker, completing an orbit in as little as 90 to 120 minutes. That’s quick enough to orbit the Earth at least 11 times a day! Learn more about Low Earth Orbit on NASA’s website for a technical overview.

This makes them perfect as a remote mining connectivity solution, offering a more consistent connection (fewer dropouts) and faster, more reliable internet speeds. 

While most LEO sat connections simply require setting up a receiver, larger, commercial setups in remote locations will instead connect via backhaul to mobile base stations designed specifically for remote connections. 

Mining Field operations across Australia face significant connectivity challenges, especially in remote regions. From a lack of mobile coverage due to limited access to cell towers, to the prohibitive cost of installing fixed line options such as fibre or DSL in difficult terrain, there is no simple way to communicate in outback Australia. 

And even where communications networks do exist, they’re often unstable, face congestion issues, or lack the speed and stability required for modern workflows, such as real-time video calls, cloud-based applications, or large file transfers.

This is where LEO Satellite systems come in.

LEO satellite technology is redefining what’s possible for field operations in remote and resource-intensive industries like mining, energy, and agriculture. 

With high-speed, low-latency internet now accessible virtually anywhere, connecting to central systems to access real-time data sharing, remote diagnostics, video communications, and more has become trivially easy. 

Here are some of the ways LEO satellite networks in Australia are making mining communications better:

Work crews can now access live video conferencing, instant messaging, and cloud-based collaboration tools with very little delay. All workers need is a connection to the satellites, and they can stay in constant contact with operations centres, technical support teams, or emergency services, speeding up decision making and general comms.

From transmitting equipment health data to environmental monitoring and predictive maintenance alerts, LEO ensures that even the most remote assets are visible, trackable, and responsive. This level of data flow supports operational continuity and enables more proactive and informed asset management. 

If your team uses tablet PCs or other smart devices out in the field, a LEO satellite connection will allow them to access all the data they need to get the job done. Even the data that’s more resource intensive. Cloud-based forms, maintenance checklists and compliance tools all become viable. 

And more advanced setups can benefit from complete teleoperations, allowing specialists to control or monitor machines from central hubs, reducing travel costs, downtime, and safety risks. Smaller teams can run major operations from a distance, often without even visiting sites. 

If your team uses tablet PCs or other smart devices out in the field, a LEO satellite connection will allow them to access all the data they need to get the job done. Even the data that’s more resource intensive. Cloud-based forms, maintenance checklists and compliance tools all become viable. 

And more advanced setups can benefit from complete teleoperations, allowing specialists to control or monitor machines from central hubs, reducing travel costs, downtime, and safety risks. Smaller teams can run major operations from a distance, often without even visiting sites. 

Because LEO satellites are closer and orbit faster, connections to the satellites are more readily available, which reduces latency and increases connectivity compared to traditional satellite connections. It’s also simple to get connected, especially if you’re using a semi-mobile setup. 

Often, it’s as easy as powering up your system and connecting to the network, and you’ll have access to fast, reliable internet and communications, speeding up processes, reducing downtime, and ensuring personnel are always accessible. And it’ll cost you less in the long run. 

However, it’s not all upsides. While connecting is easier, there is some risk of congestion in peak usage times, and uptime isn’t perfect yet as the technology is still being developed. Below are some of the potential downsides of LEO connections.  

LEO Satellite connections are best in situations where traditional connectivity is limited, slow, or too expensive to deploy. If your workers are usually operating in remote locations, such as exploration camps, remote mining zones, wind/solar farm construction sites, or on civil projects outside of built-up areas, LEO might be your best option.

Companies like Starlink have already radically transformed field operations and remote mining site communications. But as the technology improves and more providers like SpaceSail, Vocus and Rajant join the market, it’s quickly becoming faster, cheaper and easier to access LEO satellite mining communications technology. 

Many remote operating companies are turning to hybrid solutions as a way to get the most out of LEO, integrating their satellite connection with 5G, private LTE, mesh systems, and more to ensure round the clock uptime. 

In the future, this approach may not be needed at all. Everything may be connected solely via satellite, with enough bandwidth and coverage to support data intensive operations and communications anywhere on the planet. Imagine being able to send live, 4k video to a remote team working in the depths of Africa or the Arctic, sending information directly to a data centre and remote operations hub on the other side of the plant. 

LEO satellite mining communications technology has the potential to transform not just communication, workforce management and data collection, but how mining companies operate in remote areas as a whole. 

So how can you get started with LEO technology? It’s easier than you’d think. Unlike traditional infrastructure projects that require months of planning and installation, a LEO satellite connection can often be deployed within days using compact, self-aligning terminals that require minimal setup. 

The first step is to assess your site’s current connectivity gaps and operational needs, whether that’s supporting real-time communications, enabling remote monitoring, or powering automated systems. 

From there, businesses can engage with a trusted technology partner or satellite provider to trial a solution, often starting with a single site or vehicle before scaling across operations. 

The best part is, LEO services can be integrated into your existing communications networks for a hybrid setup, working alongside 4G/5G, microwave, or fixed-line connections to ensure seamless coverage and failover. 

At MTGA, we partner with leading companies like Vocus and Rajant to deliver robust and ruggedised LEO satellite communication solutions for mining sites throughout Australia. 

All our non-fixed onsite infrastructure has the capability to have a LEO service installed on it, making accessing a satellite connection as easy as moving one of our mining communications trailers into place and turning it on. 

It doesn’t matter if your mine site is remote, or if the terrain is rugged. MTGA mining communications trailers can be towed anywhere they’re required by a light vehicle, allowing for simple and rapid deployment.  

And because all MTGA equipment supports integration with products like Rajant breadcrumbs (portable, self-healing wireless nodes that form a mesh network), they’re capable of becoming essential WiFi mesh systems, easily support the development and use of automation and self-driving mining technology.

LEO technology is pushing innovation when it comes to new standalone solar powered solutions. It has expanded the boundaries of reliable and robust communication networks making them more affordable to be used in evolving mining situations. 

Whether it’s a mobile crew working in rugged terrain or autonomous systems operating miles from the nearest town, LEO connectivity brings reliability, speed, and scalability to operations that were previously limited by infrastructure.

If you’re trying to decide whether LEO technology is right for your mining site, discuss remote mining site connectivity solutions and your needs with our team. Get in touch for a quote today.