Satellite Transmission News

Navigating into seaports is now safer and more efficient for mariners thanks to improved NOAA technology that ships rely on to give them information about currents. The Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) developed a more reliable, cost-saving version of a current sensor system that can now be placed at more remote locations along navigation channels. The updated Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) system provides real-time current speed and direction observations where many mariners need it most—at U.S.

KVH Industries, Inc., announced at the international maritime Nor-Shipping show in Oslo, Norway that it plans to launch a new IP-MobileCast content delivery service that will deliver Jeppesen's entire ENC and Professional+ chart databases to mini-VSAT Broadband customers. Based on ongoing cooperative efforts between KVH and Jeppesen, it is anticipated that this new service will enable automatic delivery of electronic charts over a very reliable satellite delivery service, eliminating the time-consuming, manual process of physically shipping DVDs containing chart updates to customers' ships. "The launch of KVH's new IP-MobileCast service is expected to offer tremendous value in delivering large files such as chart databases to vessels…

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.

Marine Transportation Company Using Electronic Forms to Streamline Compliance. San Diego, California, November 2, 2011 – Boatracs Inc., a leader in providing integrated satellite communications and software solutions to the maritime industry, announced today it has completed the installation of Boatracs BTForms, an electronic forms product, on multiple vessels for United Tugs, Inc., a full service marine towing contractor. The project entailed the conversion of 7 of United Tug’s paper forms into an electronic version that captains can complete with their on-board PC, providing an efficient and easy-to-use form that transmits data in a cost effective and timely manner.

The Salwico Emission Monitoring Systems is a continuous measuring NOx, SO2 and CO2 analyzing equipment for marine applications. Unlike other solutions based on electrochemical sensor technology, not equivalent to chemiluminescent analyzing principles, Consilium is the first and only supplier providing a fully compliant solution. The analyzing technology is based on the regulatory chemiluminescent principle as stated in the Marpol Annex VI NOx Technical Code. By adapting innovative…

Despite the critical role of the maritime industry in laying the fiber that connects the world to the Internet, the maritime industry itself relies almost exclusively on satellites for ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship connectivity. However, the networking protocols used to transfer data between computers do not operate efficiently over satellite links. This is especially true at the higher data rates that are starting to become more prevalent for ship-based connectivity, but even at low bandwidths, the noisy links typical of mobile satellite systems prevent the efficient use of expensive satellite time. Fortunately, a new class of products…

Despite the critical role of the maritime industry in laying the fiber that connects the world to the Internet, the maritime industry itself relies almost exclusively on satellites for ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship connectivity. However, the networking protocols used to transfer data between computers do not operate efficiently over satellite links. This is especially true at the higher data rates that are starting to become more prevalent for ship-based connectivity, but even at low bandwidths, the noisy links typical of mobile satellite systems prevent the efficient use of expensive satellite time. Fortunately, a new class of products…

The Swedish based company SatPoint AB recently acquired NSABs (Nordic Satellite AB) multi service platform for data and telecommunications in the maritime business sector. SatPoint develops stabilized VSAT terminals and supplies associated services as well as offers the multi service platform DaMax (Demand Assigned Multiple Access) from the Swedish Space Corporations teleport in Stockholm. NSABs President & CEO comments: - In our recent agreement, SatPoint acquired our marine platform and has become service provider for NSABs customers in the shipping industry. SatPoint has proven to supply a competitive service package by their integration of advantageous financing solutions and technically advanced satellite transmission services for the shipping sector.

Singtel has announced that it has launched its Maritime VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminals) service which will enable the maritime community to use high-speed two-way IP broadband satellite communications services between ship and shore. With the service, maritime companies can integrate their IT applications onboard ships with their offices at shore via IP. The service supports e-mail, web browsing, fax and VoIP via an IP broadband satellite transmission network. Coverage for the service will initially be available for the Asia Pacific region. Source: Wireless Insight

One of the most innovative maritime communications developments in recent years has been launched by telecom systems integrator, Invsat, with the introduction of a broadband data application communications solution configured to offer DAMA (Demand Assigned Multiple Access) protocol, which Invsat developed to operate initially on Loral Skynet’s Telstar 12 satellite. DAMA is typically a single-hop satellite transmission network that allows direct connection between any two nodes in the network among many users sharing a dedicated “pool” of satellite transponder space. With DAMA, customers sign up to a service level agreement (SLA) and can opt for a number of flexible usage bands, reflecting the size of their network. Subscribers also pay network maintenance.