Viasat News

Danish offshore vessel owner Maersk Supply Service has selected the Fleet Data IoT platform from Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat business, to help optimize the performance of its first vessel battery installation onboard the Maersk Minder anchor handler.The solution will also allow Maersk Supply Service to evaluate how best to optimize the use of zero-emission energy storage systems across its fleet. According to Inmarsat, an end-user API gathers data from onboard equipment, automatically organizes it with time-stamps…

Intellian Technologies and Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat business, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the development of a next generation GMDSS safety terminal, designed for operation over Inmarsat’s ELERA L-band network.The new safety terminals will become the standard Inmarsat Maritime product for the next generation Fleet Safety service and will fulfil the requirements and performance standards of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), as part of a range of maritime SOLAS approved ship borne equipment including Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS)…

Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat business, won the 2023 International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) Award for Innovation and Technology in Maritime Search and Rescue after a highly respected judging panel led by former IMRF Chair Michael Vlasto selected its entry from a shortlist of 10 individuals and organisations.Acknowledging “volunteer and professional search-and-rescue (SAR) personnel from around the world”, the prestigious award highlights “those who have shown excellence in their field…

British satellite communications company Inmarsat said on Wednesday it is nearing an agreement to move some of its ground communications systems from the Netherlands to Greece, resolving a conflict over 5G bandwidth use.The systems based in Burum, Netherlands, use the 3.5Ghz frequency range for emergency communications with sea traffic. Their location has been in doubt for years as the Dutch government plans to use the 3.5Ghz range for 5G telecommunications.Inmarsat said it received…

The 2023 edition of The Future of Maritime Safety Report from Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat business, reveals that the number of distress calls from ships at sea remains high, despite a continuing decline in vessel losses. The new report, which analyses Global Maritime Distress and Safety System information captured by Inmarsat, registered 853 distress calls from January to December 2022 – up from 794 in 2021.With the number of losses of vessels over 100 gross tonnage (GT) falling by 65% in the last decade…

Speakers from the vanguard of maritime digitalization will be joined by the first British astronaut and science communicator Helen Sharman at the Connected Future Conference during London International Shipping Week (LISW) 2023.Moving from smart talk to practical solutions and bringing stakeholders together will be the key themes of an industry event organized by Inmarsat, a Viasat business, in partnership with Smart Maritime Network. Staged at Inmarsat headquarters on September 12…

Norwegian offshore services provider Atlantic Offshore has agreed to a fleet-wide roll-out of Inmarsat’s all-in-one Fleet LTE service to ensure continuous connectivity in the North Sea.Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat business, said the commitment will ensure Atlantic Offshore's vessels maintain continuous access to high-speed, low-latency connectivity in the North Sea during their offshore supply, seismic support and oil recovery duties.Fleet LTE will allow the vessels to connect to 4G offshore fiber networks when in range and Inmarsat’s Ka-band service…

U.S.-based global communications company Viasat has completed the acquisition of its UK-based rival Inmarsat."The combined company enhances our scale and scope to continue to drive growth in the increasingly dynamic and competitive satellite communications industry. The company’s assets, once fully integrated, are expected to increase the pace and scope of innovation in the global satellite connectivity sector, offering new and improved capabilities to customers that will address the ever-increasing speed…

EU antitrust regulators will decide by Feb. 13 whether to clear U.S.

Satellite communications solutions provider Intellian has been awarded a contract to design and supply a bespoke range of Ka-band user terminals exclusively for communications company Viasat’s Maritime connectivity solution.In addition, Intellian will also develop a 100cm upgrade kit for Intellian’s NX Series VSAT maritime antenna. The conversion kit will enable thousands of vessels the opportunity to connect to Viasat services.The new 60cm and 100cm bespoke user terminals leverage…

Viasat and Cobham Satcom announced the companies are collaborating on a new, advanced satellite connectivity solution for the maritime and energy industries in preparation for the launch of Viasat’s next generation satellite constellation, ViaSat-3.The connectivity system, which will include a portfolio of groundbreaking antenna systems from Cobham Satcom, is being designed to deliver advanced, high-speed connectivity that will leverage the satellite capacity expected from the ViaSat-3 constellation.

Data usage on commercial maritime vessels has jumped more than threefold since 2019, according to new communications analysis by maritime comms specialist Inmarsat.Inmarsat said the study results underline the shipping industry’s reliance on digital connectivity to enhance operating efficiency and safeguard crew welfare during a period of unprecedented disruption to seaborne trade.The internal study undertaken by Inmarsat, which says it connects more vessels than any other provider…

Viasat agreed to buy British rival Inmarsat on Monday in a $7.3 billion deal to broaden the U.S. based company’s satellite and land-based communications services.The takeover of London-based Inmarsat comes just two years after it was taken private in a $3.4 billion deal by a consortium of British-based Apax partners, U.S.-based Warburg Pincus and two Canadian pension funds.While Viasat offers connectivity and communications services to residential, aviation and defense customers in North America…

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 2018 marks the launch of Cobham SATCOM’s Sea Tel 9711 Triband maritime antenna system, which leverages unique technology and capabilities from global communications company Viasat Inc. The Sea Tel 9711 Triband is the world’s first and only 2.4m maritime stabilized antenna capable of delivering full 2.4m gain performance across any C-, Ku-, or Ka-band network to maximize high-speed, high-quality broadband connectivity for high-demand maritime segments, such as Cruise, Energy and Government. The triband antenna system leverages radio frequency (RF) technology provided by Viasat to enable compatibility across any Ka-band satellite network operating in any orbit.

KVH Industries, Inc. has completed several capacity increases for its mini-VSAT Broadband network to support heightened demand from customers engaged in a wide range of commercial maritime activities around the world, including offshore oil and gas, fishing, and shipping, the company announced today. Utilizing 17 satellites and 24 transponders to provide global coverage, KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband is the most extensive C/Ku-band maritime VSAT network in the world, and is designed for rapid expansion by accessing abundant commercial satellite capacity.

KVH provides and Harvey Gulf employs possibly the most sophisticated on-board SATCOM and related service package on the water. That’s no accident. If quality service, high tech hardware and quality personnel are the common bonds shared by marine communications provider KVH and its customer Harvey Gulf International Marine, then the relationship is probably a match made in heaven. Harvey Gulf, already a long-time user of the KVH suite of services and equipment, is today converting every vessel in their rapidly expanding 60+ fleet to the latest and greatest equipment standard. From where they sit, that means KVH. For its part, the business relationship allows KVH to showcase to every other customer and potential user as to what is actually possible at sea in today’s environment.

The ongoing maritime VSAT installations are part of KVH’s 10-year contract with the U.S. KVH Industries, Inc., said it has surpassed the 100-vessel mark in its 10-year contract to supply the next-generation satellite communications solution for the U.S. Coast Guard’s fleet of small cutters. To date, KVH’s TracPhone V7  systems have been deployed on 105 USCG vessels across eight different classes of cutters, and KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband service has provided 29.2 terabytes of data and more than 835,000 Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) minutes.

KVH Industries, Inc. was chosen by BW, a worldwide maritime energy transportation company, as the satellite communications solution for its Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) fleet. BW’s vessels will use KVH’s advanced, dual-mode TracPhone V11-IP onboard satellite communications system and mini-VSAT Broadband service for the “always-on” broadband connectivity that is essential for today’s commercial maritime operations. BW recently completed field trials of the TracPhone V11-IP system…

To serve its growing commercial maritime customer base in the Asia-Pacific region, KVH Industries, Inc. said it has doubled the service delivered by the JCSAT-1B satellite, which is part of KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband network. This additional capacity, available as of last month, will support mariners in the Asia-Pacific region, which includes some of the world’s busiest shipping routes, and is one of the fastest-growing areas in the world for maritime broadband demand. “The additional…

In the latest stage of its ongoing expansion of the global mini-VSAT Broadband network, KVH Industries, Inc. has more than doubled the network’s capacity in the Brazilian and African regions. The ongoing global network upgrade involves deployment of Variable Coding, Spreading, and Modulation (VCSM) technology provided by ViaSat, Inc., KVH’s partner in the mini-VSAT Broadband network. This is the third major capacity increase in less than five months, following upgrades in the Caribbean and EMEA regions in late 2012.

KVH Industries passes the 3,000th mark with shipments of its TracPhone® terminal for the mini-VSAT Broadband network. Launched in 2007, KVH's maritime broadband service was the first to use spread spectrum technology that enabled small, easy-to-install onboard terminals to receive fast, affordable VSAT quality data connections offshore. KVH grew its service to become the world's largest maritime VSAT network through a geographic coverage rollout that is now complete and covers all the world's oceans. "We built the mini-VSAT Broadband network because we saw a huge opportunity from a potential market of 250,000 commercial, government,…

KVH Industries launches new Unrestricted Rate Plans featuring Business Class Service for its mini-VSAT Broadband network. Designed to meet the booming demand for maritime connectivity, KVH’s new Business Class Service provides unrestricted, prioritized, multimegabit service with unfettered access to all Internet applications and protocols, including streaming media formats, popular Voice over IP (VoIP) services like Skype, and rich media websites. This service, traditionally only available with very expensive dedicated satellite capacity, and used exclusively by high-end cruise ship or megayacht customers, is competitively priced with other shared maritime VSAT services, but delivers significantly faster service and a superior user experience.