Starlink aided WA police in search for missing backpacker

Police Commissioner Col Blanch said that more than 200 vehicles in regional areas of the state were fitted with the satellite system, enabling forces to stay connected in areas outside of traditional mobile coverage.

The 26-year-old survived 12 days lost in the outback before being eventually found on 11 July. It later emerged that she stayed alive by drinking water from puddles and sheltering in a cave.

“In Carolina Wilga’s search and rescue we had three vehicle all with Starlink capability,” Col Blanch told The West Australian.

“In the past, WA Police would have zero communications, or very sketchy communications. We would really struggle with our land searches.

“It’s extraordinary for our police officer who have the full ability to use all of the data, collect all of the information and to plot every path they need to go to do these searches.”

The initiative was part of WA’s Anywhere Communications Project that saw satellite systems installed in more than 130 vehicles, with a further 26 portable Starlink kits distributed.

Space Connect first reported on the state police’s use of Starlink in 2023, when the organisation trailed using Starlink to communicate in areas without mobile reception.

Currently, only around a quarter of WA’s landmass has phone or radio coverage, posing problems to emergency service responders.

The initial 12-week trial took place in remote areas, including Balgo, Kalumburu, Jigalong, Kintore, and Burringurrah, and involved a square phased array antenna placed on the roofs of police cars.

WA Police Minister Paul Papalia at the time called the technology a “game changer” for the state.

“What we’re doing here is at the cutting edge of adopting technology and delivering higher levels of policing everywhere in the state,” he said.

“This is absolutely a world-first in terms of an entire jurisdiction of this scale getting complete connectivity and coverage. It’s certainly leading the nation.”

Last year, Starlink then formally launched its portable satellite dish in Australia.

The device, which resembles a large laptop, works like a traditional dongle but allows users to go online without needing to be within the range of a phone mast.

Crucially, the plan can be paused or unpaused at any time, making it accessible to hikers and travellers who only want to use it for limited periods of the year.

Finally, last month, Telstra became the first telco to formally launch “direct-to-mobile” Starlink services in Australia.

The technology uniquely does not require customers to obtain specific hardware and works on all compatible handsets.

It works because the satellites essentially function as cell towers in space to expand terrestrial coverage into otherwise unreached areas.

Adam Thorn

Adam is a journalist who has worked for more than 40 prestigious media brands in the UK and Australia. Since 2005, his varied career has included stints as a reporter, copy editor, feature writer and editor for publications as diverse as Fleet Street newspaper The Sunday Times, fashion bible Jones, media and marketing website Mumbrella as well as lifestyle magazines such as GQ, Woman’s Weekly, Men’s Health and Loaded. He joined Momentum Media in early 2020 and currently writes for Australian Aviation and World of Aviation.