As part of its global network expansion plan, KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq: KVHI) announced that it has taken operational responsibility of the mini-VSAT Broadband service network supporting North America and the Caribbean. These regions were previously managed under a revenue sharing agreement with SES Americom. This arrangement has been terminated in favor of a leasing agreement with SES Americom for bandwidth on its AMC-21 and AMC-6 satellites. KVH also purchased the Miami satellite network hub that supports the Caribbean region from SES Americom. In addition, the company has applied for operating licenses in KVH’s name and has already been granted Special Temporary Authority by the FCC to continue operation of the mini-VSAT Broadband service in these areas without interruption.
“By assuming ownership and control of the North American and Caribbean regions, we continue the evolution of KVH Industries into a global broadband service provider. At the same time, we are ensuring that we have the flexibility necessary to ensure outstanding broadband service and options for our customers in the future,” remarked Brent C. Bruun, KVH’s vice president of sales and business development.
The mini-VSAT Broadband service, along with the KVH TracPhone V7 antenna, comprise the first end-to-end 24-inch VSAT hardware, service, and support package available for maritime communications. Together, KVH and ViaSat are already offering Voice over IP phone service and Internet access as fast as 512 Kbps (upload) and 2 Mbps (download) at fixed monthly rates to mariners throughout North America, the Caribbean, the North Atlantic, Europe, the Northern Pacific, and the Persian Gulf. The company also recently announced an agreement with SP-JSAT to expand mini-VSAT Broadband coverage into Asia Pacific waters and the Indian Ocean.