Recently, the UK-based hosted telephony and satcom brand, TXi Telecoms made the news for their incredible voyage into Antarctica. The business has a heritage in the UK for offering a fully-hosted telephony portfolio both direct to the business market and through channel partners using the BroadSoft UCaaS platform. Often, TXi’s work sends the team to remote locations across the globe to install some very impressive satellite stations and more. In their latest trip to the remote regions of Antarctica, TXi was able to stay connected to their families and team members at home via the BroadSoft UC-One solution.
We caught up with the MD of TXi, Kevin Harrison, to discuss the four months that he spent in Antarctica installing a new Satellite Communications system. He told us about the incredible connections the company managed to achieve, despite the remote location.
Tell Us about Your Experience in Antarctica
TXi Telecoms has been installing satellite solutions in countries around the world for more than 30 years. Their satellite insights take them to all continents across the planet, and they’ve already been to Antarctica once in the past. Kevin Harrison told me that despite the remote nature of the destination, his team was able to access a 1GB satellite internet link, which allowed them to tap into incredible opportunities for communication and collaboration, via BroadSoft UC-One.
“We were lucky enough to form a connection at our base via a Satellite, which gave us a 1GB link to access UC-One and all the features it offers, including video conferencing and audio. Most people wouldn’t have been able to enjoy this level of in-depth communication in the past.”
“Our link meant that we could stay connected to what mattered while in one of the most remote regions of the world”
Ultimately, the TXi experience in Antarctica is an incredible insight into how far the communication and collaboration industry has come. If a company like TXi can access real-time communications in a remote place like Antarctica, then it’s safe to say that the right technology can keep anyone connected, no matter where they are.
How Did You Use UC-One?
The BroadSoft UC-One solution that TXi accessed during their time in Antarctica was provided by the service provider Evolve IP – previously known as thevoicefactory. TXi is a partner of the Evolve IP brand. The UC-One application worked really well to provide quick communications for the team, and they had no problems at all accessing voice and video, with no latency to worry about.
“We used the system for calling mostly, but we could also use video and share documents when we needed to bring extra context into the conversation. We used video calls more often, to get issues sorted out.”
Additionally, since the TXi team was in Antarctica for about four months at a time, their UC-One connection meant that they could reach out to members of their family and that their loved ones could contact them in return.
How Do You Think the Environment Has Evolved?
When TXi started installing satellites in locations around the world 30 years ago, the communication environment was a very different space. It would have been practically impossible to access any kind of communication in a remote setting, regardless of whether you were looking for basic voice, text, or video. Now, it’s possible to access real-time communication streaming anywhere in the world.
Kevin noted that the cost savings of solutions like UC-One are incredible, and the reliability of the service means that the TXi business would never even think about using another provider.
“It’s helping our productivity and making sure we get things done”
Installing satellites in remote locations used to be a very isolating experience, but the world has changed to support the remote worker. It seems as though remote worker communication is truly evolving to suit the new world.
