Christchurch technology talks to space

RIVIR - connection anywhere

Meet RIVIR, the first company in the world to create universal industrial IoT gateways for SpaceX’s Starlink Direct to Cell (DTC) satellite network. Starlink DTC is a new service provided by the Starlink satellite fleet (currently around 600 of the 4,000 Starlink satellites in orbit).

As well as enabling the ‘text message from anywhere’ feature being promoted by brands such as One NZ, this new Low Earth Orbit (LEO) system has been designed to support low-cost, global IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications – a shift set to transform industries with remote operations.

Solving the remote connectivity challenge

Imagine trying to track farming equipment in backcountry paddocks, oil pipelines in remote regions, or environmental sensors tucked in faraway valleys. Traditional cellular networks often don’t reach these places – and that’s where RIVIR’s breakthrough comes in.

RIVIR gateways have been designed to connect important assets across a wide range of industries, from mining and construction to trains, boats and environmental monitoring stations. These small but powerful gateways connect to the Starlink DTC satellite network to keep critical data flowing – even when there's no mobile signal for hundreds of kilometres.

The technology behind the innovation

“What RIVIR has built is the missing piece of architecture for Starlink's DTC network,” says CEO Hamish Hutton. “Our technology, which integrates into devices like bulldozers, pumps, or sensors, takes advantage of the satellite network to keep assets connected. Gateways interact with local devices, sending their data to and from the cloud from almost anywhere.”

Now, RIVIR is preparing to launch the first market-ready DTC version of its technology – the R200 Series gateway – built specifically to connect industrial devices to the new generation of DTC Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs). In plain terms: satellites that talk directly to regular phones and devices.

Reimagining global connectivity

This is all part of a broader shift in how we think about global connectivity. Most people know Starlink for broadband, but its new satellites now include cellular capabilities. Working with One NZ and other international partners like T-Mobile and Optus, these satellites are laying the foundation for sending and receiving text messages – and soon, even IoT data – from virtually anywhere on Earth.

There’s a catch, though. These satellites orbit the Earth at 25,000 km/h and only pass overhead briefly. So users on the ground can experience small gaps and a network that can’t exchange as much data as an equivalent terrestrial network. To solve these problems, RIVIR uses a smarter, more efficient way of sending messages – kind of like text messaging, but more powerful. Its gateways can share data without needing to stay constantly connected, and they do it more efficiently than many systems on Earth.

Hutton offers a simple analogy: “Imagine you're driving through a long series of tunnels on a road trip, while trying to do some business with your bank. A phone call drops every time you hit a tunnel, but a text message would wait patiently until you’re back in range, so you don’t have to re-write and send the message. The new RIVER system is designed to bring this kind of resilience to IoT devices – a first of its kind.”

With this new communications model, even the most remote equipment can “text” home – sending and receiving regular updates from anywhere on the planet.

Global demand and real-world applications

RIVIR is working with customers around the world interested in the technology, including a customer in Australia using it to monitor tens of thousands of remote reservoirs and water catchments. “It’s going to make monitoring water assets far easier, safer, and cheaper for governments around the world,” says Hutton.

In the US, another customer is embedding RIVIR technology into fleets of remote roading machinery, solving the problem of patchy or non-existent cell coverage. “By integrating our technology into their customer’s assets, they can offer global, always-on visibility of their fleets, even as those vehicles move in and out of remote areas.”

“Our aim is to be the first to integrate this network with critical industrial sectors such as oil and gas, utilities, automotive, and Earth observation,” says Hutton.

One major selling point of the technology is simplicity of installation: no dishes, no alignments, no repeat site visits. It’s just a small fully-integrated box that connects when there’s sky visible above.

“Our devices are also disaster-resilient. During Cyclone Gabrielle, when cellular networks and the grid failed, our technology could easily fall back to solar- and battery-powered systems, continuing to transmit data over satellites from vital infrastructure like grid transformers and environmental sensors.”

Why Canterbury?

For RIVIR, Christchurch is the ideal location for this high-tech business – both technically and geographically. “Canterbury’s rugged terrain and isolated regions make it an ideal place to develop and prove satellite IoT systems. We have every relevant customer type headquartered in the city,” says Hutton.

Christchurch also brings together real-world industry experience and a deep pool of technical capability. Well established companies like Tait Communications have built a strong base in radio and software engineering in the city, while the University of Canterbury’s renowned engineering programme continues to produce highly skilled graduates.

“Our engineers don’t just design from a desk; they get hands-on out in the field, crawling through dusty, oily machines, wading through rivers, and experiencing firsthand the many environmental and operational challenges these industries face.”

That real-world perspective has helped RIVIR succeed where others have struggled – developing technology that works across unpredictable, real-world environments.

“Being based here, at the edge of the world, allows us to work on technologies that will operate dependably in very remote and challenging environments.”

The proximity to a reliable satellite test range helps too. On Banks Peninsula, RIVIR set up a test range in a remote valley – chosen specifically because it has no cellular coverage. That makes it perfect for validating the satellite-only performance of their technology.

“One of the key features of our gateway is that it can communicate either with a cell tower or directly with the satellites. By testing in an area with no cell coverage, we ensure that the satellite network is the only option for connectivity.”

Staying local, thinking global

RIVIR’s home base is at Ministry of Awesome, a Christchurch startup accelerator that’s helped the company focus every cent of its investor’s money on product development.

“They’ve provided the support and business essentials so we could focus every dollar on our engineering team. That support has made a huge difference.”

As the company grows, the plan is to establish a team in the U.S., Canada and Australia for business development and customer support, while keeping core engineering in Christchurch.

“We travel frequently to meet potential customers in other countries, but we always bring everything back here to centralise our engineering effort. We have an exceptional engineering team that collaborates very dynamically across disciplines to innovate much faster than larger organisations can.”

Hutton says he wouldn’t want to build RIVIR anywhere else. “The engineering talent here is first class, and we’re building the kind of capability here that’s rare anywhere.”