West Lothian-based connectivity firm sets course for new heights after landing prestigious deal with Elon Musk's Starlink

A West Lothian-headquartered connectivity specialist has inked a contract with Elon Musk’s Starlink, branding the tie-up a “once-in-a lifetime opportunity” that sees it rank among just a handful of companies globally chosen to partner with the pioneering satellite internet provider.

The Clarus Networks Group, which describes itself as an integrator of state-of-the-art telecommunication technologies, has added Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency broadband internet service to its business connectivity offering, stating that this enhances its connectivity portfolio for sectors it serves, including energy, construction, healthcare, retail, transport and maritime.

It believes the contract will increase its turnover tenfold in the next 18 months, and means the firm is actively recruiting for 15 posts, including multi-lingual account managers, technical support, engineers, sales managers, an operations director, as well as a warehouse manager for its new site in Bathgate that also includes a product-demonstration centre.

Clarus added that as an authorised Starlink reseller, it will focus on expanding business-critical communications for its customer base that will bring a range of benefits including improved productivity, health and safety, asset tracking, and environmental monitoring, whilst also helping remote employees stay connected.

Husband-and-wife team Derek and Debra Phillips, who debuted The Clarus Networks Group in 2014. Picture: contributed.

The Scottish firm also explains that Starlink, which is owned and operated by Mr Musk’s Space X, provides access to rapidly deployable, high-speed, low latency internet via a constellation in low Earth orbit of, as of last month, 3,000 mass-produced small satellites, with plans to ultimately deploy up to 42,000.

Clarus added that Starlink as of June recorded more than 500,000 subscribers, with the new integration enabling “radical” improvements to site operations, ensuring enterprise grade data connectivity is delivered “anywhere, no matter how remote”. Mr Musk – the richest man in the world – gave Ukraine access to Starlink following Russia’s invasion earlier this year.

The Clarus Networks Group’s MD Derek Phillips commented: “We are very excited to leverage Starlink’s services and expand our existing remote connectivity capabilities, ensuring we can service our clients with fibre-like networks no matter the location. Starlink, alongside mobile technologies such as private 5G networks, will revolutionise how industries such as construction can leverage data to transform all aspects of operations by improving health and safety, reducing production costs, and lowering carbon emissions. We have invested in a brand-new demonstration centre in Scotland, and look forward to welcoming clients both in-person and virtually to test these innovative new solutions.”

The Clarus Networks Group launched in 2014, established by husband-and-wife team Derek and Debra Phillips, and says it specialises in offering customers fully managed networking services to connect businesses with their teams across the world. The family-run business adds that it works with a wide range of sectors, providing network design, installation, and support services, keeping users online 24/7.

Its main divisions include Cleo, Boost Pro Systems, which uses legal mobile signal booster technology to provide reliable cellular coverage in hospitals where architecture and construction materials block the mobile signal, and Clarus Site Solutions, which connected hundreds of Covid testing centres with 4G and 5G broadband, and has also been involved in providing connectivity to HS2 and the Edinburgh Trams to Newhaven project.