Just received written notification from Optus that they are closing their Thuraya Service from 31st December 2022.
Loss of a valuable service is always a concern, be it commercially sustainable or otherwise. Great Christmas present, not!
In our case as Grey Nomads, we have relied on having an Optus Sat Sleeve device on-board which we can connect to from our iPhone (via an app) for added security whenever our travels outback take us beyond, or even between, areas of mobile coverage.
We have happily paid for many years the monthly $15,00 ongoing service charge (whether at home or away), as we've always regarded it as money well spent to provide an ability to access professional help immediately wherever we are .... in the event of an unexpected medical emergency, or for that matter, any other catastrophe we might happen upon where urgent help is needed beyond the black stump!!
Just sent off an inquiry to Iridium (who I believe they are the Optus backbone satellite platform) to enquire if there are other service providers we can move to (and ideally retain the use of our existing gear assuming our "Sat Sleeve" device (which required a circa $750 upfront outlay) is not locked to Optus .... and thus hopefully not being rendered an obsolete paper weight write-off .
As for Optus, their front line customer service on the number provided to reach their "dedicated team" available "if you'd like to cancel sooner, or if you'd like to discuss other options" if fact had little to offer other than confirmation that the Thuraya service will be switched off. However, that said, I am awaiting a call back from their "back office" to answer my further questions, and ideally explain what (if any) options can actually be offered to existing Optus Thuraya customers ?
PS. Note to self - enquire when Optus calls back, to confirm my Thuraya user particulars were not compromised by the Optus Hack - had no comms whatever on that, so hopefully not!
I have no idea just how large or small numerically the Thuraya user base may (or may not) be, but collectively it could be providing a quite extensive communications safety net of Grey Nomad users (and others) on the road at any point in time across the outback. That capability is now being compromised by this Optus decision to withdraw service.
So: Wondering if there are sufficient Optus Thuraya user Grey Nomads out there who are similarly disappointed, ... sufficient perhaps to warrant some form of concerted users' lobbying through the Telecommunications Minister's Office, or Telecommunications Ombudsman. If so please reply to indicate your interest in the matter, and then perhaps we can conduct a Poll to gauge that further.
Safe travelling!
Cuppa said
07:35 PM Nov 21, 2022
Like you we have had a Thuraya phone (an XT-lite) for quite a few years & paid the $15 a month happily for the service. In the past year or so it rose to $16.50, the first rise in over 5 years.
We have received no notification that the service is to cease.
However we are not with Optus, rather we are with Pivotel, sounds like exactly the same service though.
Perhaps all you need to do is to switch over to Pivotel & continue as you are?
Feel for you , our Globalstar service was recently shut down - so our sat phone went in the bin - have a Zoleo now
RooBard said
12:37 PM Nov 22, 2022
Thanks for the Pivotel suggestion, have contacted their WA rep.
For anyone following this, happily the transition is just a sim card change into our existing Sat Sleeve device and apparently the iPhone linking app continues to work unchanged.
As you noted the casual monthly rate is a tad more, but otherwise mainly the inconvenience factor of having to deal with it.
RooBard said
12:44 PM Nov 22, 2022
Thanks for that link also.
As it happens, just added a fishing kayak to our rig. So that looks like a good piece of kit at reasonable cost for use when on the water.
Mike Harding said
02:19 PM Nov 22, 2022
RooBard wrote:
As it happens, just added a fishing kayak to our rig. So that looks like a good piece of kit at reasonable cost for use when on the water.
If you want emergency comms. in a boat as opposed to a means to tell your wife you'll be home in an hour then I'd go EPIRB over some Bluetooth to satphone box every single time.
FYI Grey Nomad Optus Thuraya Users:
Just received written notification from Optus that they are closing their Thuraya Service from 31st December 2022.
Loss of a valuable service is always a concern, be it commercially sustainable or otherwise. Great Christmas present, not!
In our case as Grey Nomads, we have relied on having an Optus Sat Sleeve device on-board which we can connect to from our iPhone (via an app) for added security whenever our travels outback take us beyond, or even between, areas of mobile coverage.
We have happily paid for many years the monthly $15,00 ongoing service charge (whether at home or away), as we've always regarded it as money well spent to provide an ability to access professional help immediately wherever we are .... in the event of an unexpected medical emergency, or for that matter, any other catastrophe we might happen upon where urgent help is needed beyond the black stump!!
Just sent off an inquiry to Iridium (who I believe they are the Optus backbone satellite platform) to enquire if there are other service providers we can move to (and ideally retain the use of our existing gear assuming our "Sat Sleeve" device (which required a circa $750 upfront outlay) is not locked to Optus .... and thus hopefully not being rendered an obsolete paper weight write-off
.
As for Optus, their front line customer service on the number provided to reach their "dedicated team" available "if you'd like to cancel sooner, or if you'd like to discuss other options" if fact had little to offer other than confirmation that the Thuraya service will be switched off. However, that said, I am awaiting a call back from their "back office" to answer my further questions, and ideally explain what (if any) options can actually be offered to existing Optus Thuraya customers ?
PS. Note to self - enquire when Optus calls back, to confirm my Thuraya user particulars were not compromised by the Optus Hack - had no comms whatever on that, so hopefully not!
I have no idea just how large or small numerically the Thuraya user base may (or may not) be, but collectively it could be providing a quite extensive communications safety net of Grey Nomad users (and others) on the road at any point in time across the outback. That capability is now being compromised by this Optus decision to withdraw service.
So: Wondering if there are sufficient Optus Thuraya user Grey Nomads out there who are similarly disappointed, ... sufficient perhaps to warrant some form of concerted users' lobbying through the Telecommunications Minister's Office, or Telecommunications Ombudsman. If so please reply to indicate your interest in the matter, and then perhaps we can conduct a Poll to gauge that further.
Safe travelling!
Like you we have had a Thuraya phone (an XT-lite) for quite a few years & paid the $15 a month happily for the service. In the past year or so it rose to $16.50, the first rise in over 5 years.
We have received no notification that the service is to cease.
However we are not with Optus, rather we are with Pivotel, sounds like exactly the same service though.
Perhaps all you need to do is to switch over to Pivotel & continue as you are?
Thuraya Pivotel phone plans
On a related note, Snowys has a great buy on PLB www.snowys.com.au/rescueme-plb1
Thanks for the Pivotel suggestion, have contacted their WA rep.
For anyone following this, happily the transition is just a sim card change into our existing Sat Sleeve device and apparently the iPhone linking app continues to work unchanged.
As you noted the casual monthly rate is a tad more, but otherwise mainly the inconvenience factor of having to deal with it.
Thanks for that link also.
As it happens, just added a fishing kayak to our rig. So that looks like a good piece of kit at reasonable cost for use when on the water.
If you want emergency comms. in a boat as opposed to a means to tell your wife you'll be home in an hour then I'd go EPIRB over some Bluetooth to satphone box every single time.