Telenor claimed to have deployed the world’s southernmost commercial base station covering a research station in Antarctica, citing benefits for researchers in use of IoT for gathering data and safety of staff in the harsh climate.

The infrastructure provides coverage to the Norwegian Polar Institute’s Troll research station, which conducts environmental projects in the region, and the surrounding area.

Alongside the research hub, the Troll facility includes a satellite communications ground station that collects data from climate-monitoring satellites.

Telenor indicated the company’s extensive experience in Arctic connectivity played a role in it being able to build and operate infrastructure in the climate of Antarctica, lauding its the latest move as “setting a new benchmark for connectivity in the harshest of environments”.

In its statement, Telenor Svalbard head Christian Skottun branded mobile coverage as “crucial” to both polar regions, adding “for research communities, the ability to utilise mobile IoT in gathering data from fieldwork is particularly attractive. Additionally, mobile coverage opens up new possibilities for research and environmental monitoring in the Antarctic oceanic area”.