Satellite Communications Technologies News

Astrium Services took a survey of seafarer’s usage of crew communication solutions in the commercial shipping sector to establish a picture of mariner communications requirements. According to Tore Morten Olsen, Head of Maritime Services, Astrium Services, the survey was illuminating in more ways than one, helping to shed light on modern comms usage for onboard business and personal reasons. MLC 2006 is here. What is your sense that ship operators and owners will incorporate an increased availability of communications solutions for seafarers? The MLC asks for “reasonable access to ship-to-shore telephone communications, and email and Internet facilities, where available.” The wording is quite soft. Plus it is located in the non-mandatory guidelines. So there’s some room for interpretation.

Delta Wave Communications, Inc. announced their new web based dTrac asset tracking solution. dTrac supports a variety of  satellite communications technologies for global asset tracking requirements. dTrac allows  assets and personnel to be tracked and managed through one login, or user defined groups, from any internet-connected PC or smart phone. Customers may track assets using their existing Inmarsat and Iridium satellite terminals, or any of Delta Wave's line of tracking products. End users are given more direct control over mapping options, such as grouping of assets and geo-fencing, which reduces support costs. Most recently, dTrac has become compatible with the NAL Research Iridium Shout Product…

Marlink today announced that it now offers a full range of Inmarsat services for customers requiring flexible and efficient land mobile communications over satellite. Marlink's new Regional Broadband Global Area Network (Regional BGAN) offers reliable, 24-hour a day Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity at data speeds of up to 144kbps via a secure channel. The service is available in Europe, Asia, and northern and central Africa. The service affords enterprise customers, governments, global and regional businesses, as well as educational facilities the ability to securely extend their corporate networks and access the Internet, via satellite, regardless of the local communications infrastructure.

Telenor Satellite Services signed a three-year communications agreement with British Petroleum (BP) for global broadband services over satellite. The two-part agreement, including Telenor land-based and Sealink at-sea broadband communications services, is one of the largest of its kind in terms of numbers of sites, vessels and systems included. The contract establishes the terms and conditions for upgrading the communications systems of ships and production facilities, as determined by BP, and has the potential of providing cost-efficient and highly reliable very small aperture terminal (VSAT) equipment and services to BP's entire fleet, which will surpass 80 deep sea vessels by the end of 2006, and several offshore rigs and land-based production facilities.