Astrotel wants to turn the telco model on its head
Astrotel & the transformation of comms networks
New Australian telecommunications company, Astrotel, recently launched the first IP Transit Over Cloud (IPTOC) service running on Alkira’s global Network Infrastructure on Demand. The offer turned heads because Astrotel is promising IP Transit from as little as USD 0.03 cents per megabyte of data. Pricing is the same on all routes, domestic and international. The service is available anywhere the major public cloud providers are available globally. W.Media sat down with Astrotel’s Founder and long-time telecom veteran Elizabeth Aris to discuss how open Networking hardware and software, coupled with public cloud services, is creating a new model for connectivity, even as large global telcos retrench their international footprints.
Aris explained that Alkira’s transformative approach to building communications networks provided an immediate use case for Astrotel, leading to IPTOC a cloud native IP Transit service, running entirely over the hyperscaler’s infrastructure. “Astrotel IPTOC is powered by Alkira is the only solution that operates truly as a service eliminating the need to procure any additional hardware, deploy any software or acquire deep networking/cloud expertise,” she told W.Media.
“Leveraging SP-grade cloud-based network infrastructure allows secure, elastic and highly available connectivity in any part of the world. Alkira portal offers configuration, management, monitoring and troubleshooting of the IPTOC service. REST APIs and Terraform can be used to automate deployment and integration to service provider’s OSS/BSS systems,” she said.
The two companies signed an exclusive Asia Pacific partnership in September with the aim of turning the tradition telco model on its head. “The traditional model involves large telcos and some specialist providers investing heavily in building networks within their home countries and along key routes to other markets,” said Aris.
“That means for all other necessary connections, they purchase from other suppliers, essentially assembling a patchwork network. These providers then try to lock clients into expensive contracts to recoup their investments. Notably, no traditional player offers a truly global network, let alone one that is natively integrated into the cloud,” she said.
“The new model shifts to a ‘go from-to anywhere’ approach for global data transport. Connections are established without hardware, completed in hours using IP Sec from any modem, or through services like AWS Direct Connect, Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute, or Google Cloud Interconnect in a data centre,” she said. “Clients then only pay for the bandwidth they use, at a fraction of the cost per megabyte compared to traditional systems.”
New ways to buy and sell
Additionally, following Astrotel’s new collaboration with the global platform for buying and selling connectivity, Connectbase, Astrotel IPTOC is available to organisations via the Connected World ecosystem. Connectbase, like similar ecosystems such as Console Connect, is designed to streamline interactions between buyers and sellers across the globe. The Connected World platform serves over 300 providers globally, profiling 2.7 billion locations across more than 150 countries.
“Models like Console Connect and Connectbase are emerging as the connectivity landscape becomes increasingly complex and globalised,” said Aris. “Traditional approaches, such as bilateral agreements, peering, or relying solely on Internet Exchanges (IX), often require significant time, resources, and expertise to establish and maintain on a case-by-case basis.”
“These methods can also be restrictive, limiting carriers’ ability to scale quickly and meet the growing demand for diverse connectivity solutions,” she added.
Aris believes Connectbase is transformative for providers like Astrotel by enabling a one-to-many ecosystem. “Through Connectbase, we gain predefined access to a network of buyers, allowing them to quote and order with unprecedented speed and accuracy. This eliminates the need to manually develop individual relationships or conducting repetitive research for each connection. The platform leverages detailed serviceability data and automation to showcase offerings to a broad audience, accelerating the time to revenue,” she said.
She said Console Connect complements this by focusing on seamless orchestration. Its platform allows providers to establish and deliver services globally without needing to create individual relationships. “By automating network provisioning, Console Connect removes operational bottlenecks and provides the agility and scalability necessary to meet dynamic connectivity demands, such as on-demand bandwidth and multi-cloud access,” she said.
Together, Aris believes these models modernise the delivery and consumption of connectivity. “For providers, the combination of Connectbase’s ecosystem and Console Connect’s marketplace simplifies operations, expands reach, and accelerates time-to-market. These advantages allow Astrotel to prioritise innovation and growth, unburdened by the complexities of traditional methods,” she said.
Australian-made Astrotel began in Australia, where it is based, but its experience across Asia and the US naturally drives the telco to think globally. “Many of our technology companies we collaborate with, like Alkira, are very well established in the US and Europe, but are only beginning to expand into the APAC region,” said Aris. “This presents a significant opportunity to introduce their solutions here. Many of our clients operate across multiple countries, and the solutions we provide, such as IP Transit Over Cloud, are both global and unique, and are particularly appealing to organisations needing to move large volumes of data across regions, including to and from APAC.”
She added that the Australian market is straight forward, due to the NBN, and introducing Alkira represents a new telco model. “Unlike traditional players who have invested heavily in their own infrastructure, this new approach eliminates the need for such investments,” she said. “With Alkira, even the number of Points of Presence in data centres is reduced, leading to significant cost and performance improvements. By rethinking last-mile architecture combined with Alkira, businesses can achieve greater efficiency and scalability.”
Connectivity in the next decade
Aris said the data revolution is here, with the volume of data being generated and transported growing exponentially – a trend set to continue for years to come. As a result, she said, cloud migration of services, such as IP Transit, will accelerate. “As cloud-native providers emerge, competition for routes will intensify. This shift makes continued investment less appealing for the traditional telcos unless they secure contracts with hyperscalers for specific routes,” she said. “Traditional providers face competing capital priorities, and the large sums for infrastructure investments are increasingly harder to justify.”
Even existing services like SD-WAN are becoming obsolete, she claims. “In developed markets, many corporations have already done the ‘heavy lift’ of an SD-WAN project, but this is no longer necessary. Existing routers can connect to Alkira, routing all traffic through the cloud without the need for ongoing device or software upgrades, saving both time and cost,” she said. “In developing markets like Indonesia, where SD-WAN adoption is lower, companies can bypass this stage altogether, adopting Alkira directly and reaping the benefits straight away.”
Similarly, she argued that physical security devices at each premises or location are no longer required. “A single virtual firewall from leading vendors like Fortinet, Palo Alto, Cisco or Checkpoint can be deployed on the Alkira Cloud Exchange Point (a virtual, cloud based PoP),” she said. “This approach reduces the number of required firewalls by a factor of 10, significantly cutting the time and costs associated with managing physical devices. For data centres, the need for numerous PoPs diminishes as not all traffic needs to terminate there, saving on hardware and operational expenses like –rack space, power, and cross- connect costs. Once connected to the cloud via Alkira, traffic can be routed anywhere globally.”
In essence, networking becomes simpler, faster to implement, globally scalable, and more cost-effective.
“Traditional geographically focused telcos are becoming less competitive, except in specific segments like mobile,” she said. “The only question is how quickly clients will make the shift. Innovators and early adopters will lead the way, while laggards clinging to legacy technology will face higher costs and diminished performance over time for the privilege.”
Interconnect World Melbourne 2025
Interconnect World Melbourne 2025, which is colocated with the Melbourne Cloud and Datacenter Convention and takes takes on 3 April 2025, will bring the unique focus established by Interconnect World through 2024 across Asia and Australia to the Victorian market. Interconnect World Melbourne will focus on future trends and directions as they relate to the key commercial, technological and operational decisions that will shape the future of the telco ecosystem. This exclusive event will bring together the industry’s leading telcos, ISPs, IXs, TMT investors, government agencies along with key decision makers from enterprise customers of telco services and equipment.
The ever-growing requirements for data connectivity from consumers, companies and infrastructure means many organisations in the industry and their customers face challenging investment, marketing and R&D decisions in order to remain competitive and profitable.
The discussion will look also at the changing competitive dynamics of the industry, the continuing evolution of technologies and protocols, the urgency of delivering competitive and relevant innovation in services and operations. Experts will discuss effective and relevant ‘real world’ business, tech and customer strategies for adding value and navigating the organisation through an increasingly unpredictable future.
For more information on Melbourne Interconnect World visit: https://interconnectworld.com/events/melbourne-interconnect-world-2025/
[Interview & Write Up: Simon Dux]
About Astrotel
Astrotel is a leading provider of Cloud & AI Native software, Open Networking hardware and software, and Connectivity solutions across the Asia Pacific region. With a focus on delivering cutting-edge technologies and unparalleled network performance, Astrotel empowers businesses, enterprises, and government entities to achieve greater efficiency and flexibility in their digital operations. Find us at astrotel.io.
About Alkira
Alkira is the leader in Network Infrastructure on Demand. We unify any environments, sites, and users via an enterprise network built entirely in the cloud. The network is managed using the same controls, policies, and security systems network administrators know, is available as a service, and can instantly scale as needed. There is no new hardware to deploy, no software to download, and no architecture to learn. Alkira’s solution is trusted by Fortune 100 enterprises, leading system integrators, and global managed service providers. Learn more at alkira.com and follow us @alkiranet.
About Connectbase
Connectbase is the global ecosystem for buying and selling connectivity. Designed to streamline interactions between buyers and sellers across the globe, Connectbase offers a dynamic and comprehensive ecosystem for all connectivity stakeholders. The Connected World platform serves over 300 providers globally, profiling 2.7 billion locations across more than 150 countries. Visit Connectbase at connectbase.com and follow us on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/connectbase-us/