Page 38 - Tropic Magazine Issue 19

TROPIC • COVER STORY

“A person runs a business with their
dream in mind and I want to share
my dream by helping them find how
they can use technology to achieve
their outcomes,” he said. “I ask them
to tell me about the roadblocks they’re
running into and I’m going to use
technology to overcome that. They
don’t generally care about how it’s
architected or the medium used.” While
the technical jargon often fades into the
background, what is at the forefront
of business dealings is trust. “Where
there’s a path to an easy sale, that’s
the one we’ll steer away from - we’ll
do what is in the best interests of our
customers because we want a long-
term relationship,” Mr Stephens said.
“After three years in operation we have a
solid pedigree in doing what we say we
are going to do and delivering what we
say we’re going to deliver.”
As well as rolling out TerreCom,
AirBridge Group’s business plan for
the next 12 months also includes a
managed service provider offering. The
company’s also entertaining the notion
of entering the field of cyber-security.

MORE: airbridge.net.au

Bridging a solution

What exactly is an AirBridge? And how
was it created?

Take two good mates, a decent dose of ingenuity, copious Andrew Cortis and Doug Stephens
quantities of combined knowledge and a problem to
solve. That’s how the AirBridge solution was born. Here’s it was actually starting to receive data at the other end and
the tale, straight from the mouths of the architects, Doug we went, ‘how good is this?’. It was really cool.”
Stephens and Andrew Cortis.
ANDREW: “So we got a couple and set them all up, flew
ANDREW: “We were working in what was already a really out to Erub Island and for our first network we actually
remote area and they wanted to get internet to island connected three remote island buildings back to the
buildings. So the Torres Strait Island Regional Council Council office. We then had other islands within the same
asked us if it was a possibility. We started figuring out Council ask us to do the same thing because not only is it
how we were going to do that and playing with the fast and reliable but if you’ve got several connections and
wireless bridges. Imagine you’ve got a network cable and you have to pay separately for each one, it can get pretty
you cut it in half and attach it to two devices and they expensive. This could use just one connection.”
talk to each other. That’s the basic premise. It’s the same
network but in two locations.” DOUG: “We thought it could be something that could be
used almost everywhere. So we’re doing the specs on it
DOUG: “He was at one end of the hallway and I was at the and reading the calculations and we’re like, ‘we can get
other end and we had a laptop attached to each of the these things to work kilometres away,’ and at that point
devices trying to pass data across it. It wouldn’t happen. we went, ‘we probably shouldn’t be standing in front of
But eventually we got it all configured and working and them (laughs)’.”

38 • Tropic • Issue 19