Foxtel signs largest-ever Business iQ deployment in Fortescue mining camps deal
Foxtel Group has signed a multi-year renewal with Fortescue to roll out its Business iQ platform across 11,500 screens at the iron-ore miner's 11 remote accommodation villages. Foxtel calls it the largest single Business iQ deployment in its history.
Foxtel Group has signed a multi-year renewal with Fortescue to install its Business iQ platform across 11,500 screens at the iron-ore miner's 11 remote accommodation villages, the largest single Business iQ rollout in Foxtel's history. The contract covers more than 10,000 workers, most based in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
The renewal extends a near-decade partnership. It adds 4K Ultra HD sport, full live and on-demand entertainment, and access to the Foxtel app on staff personal devices. Installation is being handled by BSA. Set-top-box and middleware technology come from ADB through its vuTyme platform.
"FOXTEL and Fortescue have been in partnership for almost a decade and we'll continue to invest together from the outset of our long term renewal to upgrade all living quarters and common areas across all Fortescue camps with FOXTEL's full suite of live and streamed content through Business iQ, and develop delivery to staff personal devices through the FOXTEL app while at worksites," Foxtel managing director of retail, wholesale and commercial Steve O'Connor said in a statement. "Fortescue's very remote workforce will be the most connected and best entertained mining employees in Australia."
What's in the deal
Foxtel said the rollout covers all living quarters and common areas at the villages. The content line-up includes live cricket, AFL, NRL, Formula 1, Supercars, golf, UFC and boxing, with on-demand drama including Colin From Accounts, Outlander and The Other Bennet Sister.
Business iQ is Foxtel's commercial subscription product, delivered over fixed line and satellite. It is installed in more than 60,000 rooms across Australian hotels, clubs and aged-care sites. Worldwide, ADB says about 400,000 screens run on the underlying vuTyme platform.
Why mining camps matter
Fly-in fly-out workforces are a recurring target for telcos and broadcasters chasing enterprise revenue beyond city CBDs. The Fortescue villages, on rotating fortnight-and-week shifts, house workers across the company's Pilbara mines, port operations and remote project sites. Fortescue framed the upgrade as a wellbeing investment, citing comfort, connection and quality downtime in the announcement.
Sport in 4K
The 4K Ultra HD upgrade matters most for live sport. Foxtel currently broadcasts AFL, NRL and cricket in 4K on its main satellite feed and through the iQ5 set-top box. Mining camps have historically run on lower-bitrate satellite or terrestrial distribution. Putting Business iQ across 11,500 screens means workers in the most remote sites see the same picture quality as a Sydney pub.
What happens next
Foxtel did not disclose the contract value. Rollout is staged over the multi-year term and will run alongside Fortescue's existing accommodation refurbishment programmes. Staff app access at worksites is to be added during the rollout, subject to camp Wi-Fi capacity.
Soren Chau
Enterprise editor covering AWS, Azure, and GCP in the AU region, plus the SaaS shaping local IT. Reports from Sydney.
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