Fostering satellite communication at RMIT

Monday, 23 March, 2009

RMIT University students and researchers will have access to cutting-edge satellite communications technology with the support of ITC Global. The company has provided the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering with an industry-standard, two-way earth terminal, making RMIT the only Australian university to receive full access to its global communications network via a number of geosynchronous satellites.

Associate Professor James Scott, Discipline Head of Communication Engineering at RMIT, said the company’s generous sponsorship would enable students to gain a practical understanding of the challenges involved in operating live satellite links.

“Our students will be learning the skills they will need for their careers by working on the latest generation of systems that are used in the industry,” he said. “We can now conduct teaching and research experiments that involve actual uplinking to working satellites.

“ITC Global’s support will not only enhance RMIT’s research capabilities in satellite communications but will also enable our graduates to hit the ground running when they head into the workforce.”

Associate Professor Scott said discussions had already begun with ITC Global on possible joint research and development projects, and the university looked forward to mutually beneficial technical collaborations with the company into the future.

Chris Hill, Manager of ITC Global’s Australian Operations and an alumnus of RMIT’s Master of Telecommunication Engineering program, said the quality of the university’s programs deserved strong industry support.

“We are very keen to cultivate strength in satellite communications education and research in Australia, and RMIT is one of the few universities in the country that works to develop highly skilled graduates in this area,” Hill said.

“The system RMIT students and researchers will work with is the same that our clients use in Australia and around the world, so the skill sets they develop will be directly transferable into the workplace.”