Satellite Broadband News

Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics, a developer of autonomous command and control systems for commercial vessels, announced Monday that it has hired Trevor Vieweg as chief technology officer (CTO), reporting to the company’s CEO Michael G. Johnson. Effective earlier this month, this new position gives Vieweg responsibility for the company’s overarching technology strategy, as well as continuing to develop a high-performing team focused on the development of advanced marine technology.

Satellite communications provider Iridium Communications Inc. announced Tuesday that its Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) service officially went live on Friday, December 11, ending a monopoly held by rival Inmarsat and enhancing the integrity of global safety communications for seafarers globally.GMDSS is an internationally regulated service, governed by the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention. It provides life-saving assistance to seafarers in distress and has required equipment on board more than 60…

Mobile satellite communications company Inmarsat confirmed commercial service introduction (CSI) of its newest, most powerful geostationary satellite to date. GX5 is the 14th satellite currently in service with Inmarsat and provides additional capacity to Europe and the Middle East on the Fleet Xpress (GX) Ka-band high-speed satellite broadband service designed for the maritime industry.The satellite, launched in November 2019, delivers approximately double the combined capacity of the entire existing GX fleet (GX1-GX4).

Inmarsat will introduce two new satellite payloads dedicated to the Arctic region in a partnership with Space Norway, and its subsidiary Space Norway HEOSAT.The new Global Xpress (GX) payloads support the rapidly growing demand among both commercial and government users for seamless, reliable, high-speed mobile broadband services in the Arctic and throughout the world. They specifically address rising demand for high-speed mobile broadband Fleet Xpress service capability from the merchant shipping…

KVH Industries shipped its 9,000th mini-Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) Broadband system."The milestone highlights KVH’s position as a maritime VSAT market share leader providing satellite broadband connectivity to vessels around the world," said a press release from the US-based manufacturer of mobile satellite communications solutions.KVH’s TracPhone V-series antenna systems are designed to provide satellite broadband connectivity to commercial and personal vessels globally, by utilizing satellite technology like High Throughout Satellites (HTS).Ever since we launched our mini-VSAT Broadband network more than 10 years ago, our antenna systems have been in demand by the maritime industry…

Iridium Communications Inc. announced today that KDDI Corporation, Navarino and NSSLGlobal Ltd., are the newest Iridium Certus service providers for the maritime industry. Iridium Certus will offer a L-band satellite broadband connectivity solution.With higher speeds, state-of-the-art small form factor terminals and competitive pricing options, Iridium Certus will offer a complete communications platform for all mariners and can serve as a primary service or VSAT companion solution.

As the global maritime industry increases the level of automation and ship-to-shore connection, the move toward autonomy is gaining steam in certain sectors. While it is generally agreed among industry insiders that full autonomous operations on ships traversing the world's oceans is a generation or more away, there are some significant strides being made on shorter, point-to-point inland and coastal routes, as well as evolving the technology in a manner that automates onboard systems to help reduce crewing and workloads.

Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. (Yang Ming) signed a contract with CSBC CORPORATION, TAIWAN (CSBC) for the construction of a total of ten 2,800 TEU class full container vessels. The contract was signed by Yang Ming’s Chairman Bronson Hsieh and CSBC’s Chairman Cheng Wen-Lon.The new ships are due for delivery starting in the second quarter of 2020 and will help to meet the future demand for medium and long-term vessel deployments, and improve competitiveness, Yang Ming said.In the meantime, Yang Ming will also take delivery of five 14,000 TEU chartered vessels beginning in the fourth quarter 2018 and throughout the first-half of next year.In light of the rapid growth seen in the Asian emerging markets…

As maritime operators deal with challenging operating conditions, many are embracing digitalization as the most reliable way to lower operational costs and improve vessel efficiency.According to research conducted by Lloyds List Intelligence and Ovum, two-thirds of vessels use digitalization systems onboard. According to the executives surveyed, this is being driven by a desire to improve operating efficiency, with 88 percent already working toward that goal. As part of the process…

Iridium Communications Inc. announced that seven additional service providers have signed agreements to provide the Iridium Certus service for maritime applications. Globecomm, Network Innovations, Pivotel, MVS USA, IEC-Telecom, MetOcean and Samsan Enterprise Company now further broaden the base of Iridium’s distribution for its next-generation L-band broadband service. These seven companies will play a critical role in delivering what will be the fastest and most competitive L-band satellite broadband solution to the maritime industry, enabling a truly global “connected ship” environment. This announcement comes shortly after Iridium became the second-ever recognized service provider for the Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS)…

A new satellite device that combines the Inmarsat Fleet Xpress Network Service Device (NSD) with the RedPort Optimizer Enterprise satellite router and VoIP gateway was launched by RedPort Global.The single rackmount appliance will manage ship networks with satellite broadband routing, VoIP connectivity and crew services, and replaces at least three pieces of hardware that were previously required for Fleet Xpress installations.The innovative RedPort Optimizer Enterprise NSD for Inmarsat Fleet Xpress gives satellite service providers and ship operators an all-­in-­one solution…

From humble beginnings KVH has evolved rapidly to become a central player in the maritime world’s global Big Data revolution. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News caught up with Martin Kits van Heyningen in Oslo for his take on KVH’s current position and future direction. “We certainly didn’t envision that we would be in the high-speed satellite broadband business when we started,” is how Kits van Heyningen, President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of the Board, KVH, succinctly summarizes the biggest difference between the company he founded in 1982 versus the one he leads today.

Mobile satellite communications provider Inmarsat has rolled out a fully-managed service for the maritime industry that detects vulnerabilities, responds to threats and protects ships from widespread cyber attack. The new service, called Fleet Secure, was showcased at London International Shipping Week, and will be commercially launched as a standard option on Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress service. Inmarsat describes Fleet Secure as a Unified Threat Management (UTM) and monitoring service that will power cyber resilience at sea…

Satellite-based connectivity has always played a critical role for the maritime sector. As the communications expectations of ship owners, passengers and crews continue to grow, maritime service providers are seeing a transformation in the type and quantity of applications that need to be supported at sea. The advent of VSAT broadband services is driving a shift away from traditional, low-level L-band connections that ship operators have relied upon for decades. VSAT services are preferred to respond to the demand for high-speed broadband that can support bandwidth-intensive applications.

Iridium has launched 10 of its Iridium NEXT satellites US aboard a SpaceX rocket launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. This payload of 10 satellites was deployed into low-Earth orbit, approximately one hour after a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg, at 1:25pm PDT (20:25 UTC). With this launch complete, there are now 20 Iridium NEXT satellites in orbit, establishing the infrastructure for groundbreaking technologies such as Iridium Certus and Aireon's space-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) aircraft tracking and surveillance service. Iridium Certus is poised to disrupt industry norms by enabling truly global L-band satellite broadband speeds through smaller, more cost-effective antennas.

KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq: KVHI), announced that as of the end of 2015, it had shipped more than 6,000 TracPhone® satellite communications antenna systems for the mini-VSAT Broadbandsm network. This milestone reaffirms the company’s top market share position in the maritime VSAT industry by vessels in service, a benchmark noted in the COMSYS Maritime VSAT Report, 4th Edition, March 2015. The company also announced that it recently expanded the capacity on its global mini-VSAT Broadband network, which provides essential connectivity to vessels around the world. “Our solution has been widely adopted because it brings simplicity and value to ship owners and operators…

Inmarsat welcomed the President of the People’s Republic of China, Mr Xi Jinping to its London headquarters, as part of the President’s historic State Visit to the UK. The visit reflects the close working relationship between Inmarsat and China. China was one of the eighty-six countries that came together to found Inmarsat with a maritime safety mandate and over thirty five years later Inmarsat continues to contribute to safety and security in Maritime and Aviation and more recently during disaster situations in China. President Xi, accompanied by HRH The Duke of York, the Chinese Ambassador to London, Mr Liu Xiaoming, The Right Honourable Greg Hands and Inmarsat executives…

Leading offshore energy services provider, Jaya Holdings Limited confirmed the on-time delivery of its second new Multi-Purpose Platform Supply Vessel (MPSV), Jaya Vigilant. She sailed from Jaya’s shipyard in Batam yesterday and was immediately on hire by its charterer for a term program in East Africa. The vessel will load a Remotely Operated Vessel (ROV) spread and mobilize across the Indian Ocean to load further subsea equipment for the client in Durban in October. “[Jaya Vigilant] has a 50 ton subsea crane with active heave compensation for service in water depths of up to 3…

MTN grants Lifetime Achievement Award to pioneer of broadband communications at sea, Richard Hadsall. The CEO and president of MTN Satellite Communications (MTN), Errol Olivier resently made the award at the company's Town Hall. Richard Hadsall , chief technology officer of MTN Government Services, pioneered the first C-band and Ku-band satellite broadband communications (TV, voice and data) at sea in the 1980s. Thanks to Hadsall's innovation, today MTN delivers critical satellite and terrestrial communications to most of the world's cruise lines.

Ancylus AB & Net1 enter a strategic partnership to offer the Scandinavian & Nordic maritime market a hybrid broadband solution. The new Hybrid broadband solution is tailor-made for the shipping industry operating in the Nordic waters. By offering the Net1’s wireless broadband the vessels can get connected with high speed internet while they are close to the Scandinavian shores (50 – 60 nm) or in the ports, without any roaming issues. Once the vessels leave the reach of the wireless network the communication switches over to broadband via satellite, provided by Ancylus.

Thuraya Telecommunications Company announce certification of a range of MediaComms Solutions for its  IP terminal. At the heart of Thuraya MediaComms is Thuraya IP, which is the world’s most compact satellite data modem, which is now fully compatible with the media industry’s favored broadcast solutions including: Clipway, Livewire, Globecast, Streambox and Quicklink. Mr. John Huddle, Head of Media Services at Thuraya said, “Thuraya delivers the highest standards of reliability, security and performance so that journalists can remain focused on breaking the news, without having to worry about staying connected. All of our Thuraya MediaComms solutions undergo a rigorous testing and certification process.

Connectivity and Communications Complete the Package. The complex task of operating any marine enterprise isn’t getting any easier. Financial, regulatory, operational, environmental and human resource pressures all increase over time. In the brown water, workboat world, these problems are exacerbated by the sheer number of smaller operators struggling to catch up with business requirements that have become increasingly sophisticated, and over a very short period of time. Keeping track of the new subchapter “M” rules…

Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:IRDM) announces that German shipping company Reederei Werner Bockstiegel has selected Iridium Pilot(TM) to upgrade its shipping fleet with broadband communications. Globecomm Maritime, a long-standing Iridium partner, is offering Iridium Pilot as part of an upgraded "Telaurus se@COMM" communications package, and will manage the installation fleet-wide. "We're seeing a rapidly growing appetite among maritime customers to migrate from out-dated narrowband services to satellite broadband communications solutions," said Greg Ewert, executive vice president of global distribution channels at Iridium. "We are proud to expand our service to Reederei Werner Bockstiegel through our innovative partner Globecomm Maritime.