Satellite Voice News

IEC Telecom will launch its Orion Edge+ satellite voice and data communication solution during this week’s Sea Asia (April 9 to 11).Orion Edge+ provides high quality, reliable broadband with the ultimate cost effective operational benefits. It also provides flexible data plans with no long-term commitment. This flexibility makes Orion Edge+ ideal for busy offshore support vessels, tugs, and oil and gas contractors.Powered by Thuraya’s Orion IP broadband and Thuraya’s Seastar circuit switched voice terminal…

Marlink entered an agreement with Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T.) to supply its satellite voice and data connectivity services for use on five adventure cruise ships in the O.A.T. fleet.Marlink will provide the O.A.T. Small Ships with a suite of solutions; equipment, bandwidth and operations to reliably meet and exceed guest voice and data requirements; uninterrupted voice and corporate connectivity to facilitate ship management tasks; and flexible connectivity services to…

The Satellite Industry Association (SIA) announced that Globalstar is the latest company to join SIA. Globalstar operates a low-earth-orbit (LEO) constellation of satellites and provides mobile satellite voice and data products and service packages to government, industry and consumer customers around the world. The Company’s products include mobile and fixed satellite telephones, the Sat-Fi satellite hotspot, Simplex and Duplex satellite data modems, tracking devices plus its subsidiary SPOT LLC family of consumer satellite products. In September, Globalstar announced the appointments of Dave Kagan to the position of CEO and Jay Monroe to Executive Chairman of the Company’s Board of Directors and earlier this year the Company introduced two new products…

Global Eagle Entertainment Inc. (“GEE”) (NASDAQ:ENT) and Radiance Communications are deploying marine VSAT services for Nakilat’s fleet of LNG and LPG carriers. GEE’s EMC service line and Radiance Communications, an EMC maritime service partner and reseller, are supplying global Ku-band VSAT connectivity and content to enable a full range of internet, data and voice services for the vessels and crew. It includes a high-quality voice-over-IP (VoIP) system for the corporate network to lower the costs of satellite voice calls, as well as VoIP crew calling and an internet café solution for crew with company access control. To date, eight Nakilat ships have been equipped.

Satcom Global, a maritime satellite communications provider, and Intellian, a satellite antenna developer and manufacturer, have signed a strategic partnership agreement covering the global supply and distribution of maritime satellite equipment. Under the partnership, Satcom Global will have access to Intellian’s full range of Ku-Band, Ka-Band and FleetBroadband hardware, supporting the delivery of its portfolio of VSAT and L-Band services to maritime customers across the globe. Ian Robinson, CEO at Satcom Global said, “Intellian is exactly the kind of committed partner we want on our team to help penetrate deeper into the maritime market with a truly world class managed connectivity solution.

On a beautiful Autumn afternoon in Charleston, SC last month, MarineNews Editor Joseph Keefe had the good fortune to attend the christening on the nation’s first dual purpose, rapid response vessel and pilot launch. As the first vessel to be designed for offshore salvage and firefighting requirements, it was also notably the first commercial application of Volvo Penta’s IPS drive propulsion. The vessel also represents an interesting twist in the Charleston Branch Pilots’ business model. The pilot game is already a pretty good paying gig, but clearly, this group is thinking outside the box.

Fort Ripley, a new offshore emergency response craft now entering service in Charleston, S.C., is reported to be the first commercial vessel in North America to be powered by triple Volvo Penta IPS drives. Designed by C. Raymond Hunt Associates, built by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation, and owned by Southeast Ocean Response Services Inc., the USCG-certificated 64-ft. aluminum boat, was commissioned today (October 7, 2014) in a ceremony in Charleston. Fort Ripley’s primary mission is to allow ships to meet federal requirements for rapid offshore firefighting…

All Globalstar's launched second-generation satellites now providing commercial service. One satellite was affected by the momentum wheel issue. It was originally launched in October 2010 and removed from service in early 2011, but now all 18 of Globalstar's launched second-generation satellites are now providing commercial service. Jay Monroe, Chairman and CEO of Globalstar, Inc., added, "After more than a year of development, Globalstar and Thales Alenia Space completed the software engineering, uploaded and tested the solution, and then successfully returned the affected satellite to commercial service. The solution not only permitted this satellite to return to service but also provides a fix for similar problems that may happen across our constellation.

Thuraya Telecommunications Company unveiled today at CommunicAsia 2012 in Singapore its SF2500 maritime satellite voice terminal, developed jointly with partner Addvalue Communications Pte Ltd. Thuraya is using its existing success in providing satellite communications to more than 140 countries around the globe to diversify into selected vertical sectors. SF2500 is the latest offering available to end-users under the recently created Thuraya MarineComms brand, which was launched to provide dedicated support for the marine market and enables Thuraya’s community of distributors and channel partners to provide training and support for marine end-users.

Global Marine Networks Inc. How to stay in touch with family, friends and information through radio, satellite voice, email and Internet services while at sea with laptops and smartphones is the subject of the GMN offering. Blue water cruisers, and other boaters have more choices than ever when it comes to staying in touch while at sea, but some choices are better than others, according to a new report from Global Marine Networks (GMN), called Staying In Touch Offshore: Global Marine Networks’ Guide To Blue Water Cruising Communications. “The changes we are seeing in communications technologies everywhere are affecting boaters, and particularly those who spend time cruising in blue waters,” said Dr. Luis Soltero, Chief Technology Officer of Global Marine Networks.

Marlink, the largest provider of maritime satellite communications, has announced it will provide a major benefit to customers taking its Inmarsat FleetPhone service, Inmarsat’s latest satellite voice, circuit switched data and SMS messaging system. Marlink will provide a terminal at no cost with each one year subscription to the Universal Card, Vizada’s prepaid solution for private calls and crew data. The system will also have a free crew handset and call blocker which restricts crew to the prepaid traffic.

EMS Satcom, a division of EMS Technologies, Inc., announced its sponsorship of Spirit of Canada Ocean Challenges and skipper Derek Hatfield as he sets his sights to win the 2006 5-Oceans global sailboat race. EMS will provide critical hardware and services through its integrated satellite communications systems to connect Derek and his 60-ft. Spirit of Canada to the rest of the world for safety, educational and media relations purposes. “Spirit of Canada is building to win in 2006, and the addition of EMS’s world-class Satcom technology provides us with tremendous advantages in terms of safety and educational outreach,” says Derek Hatfield, managing director, Spirit of Canada Ocean Challenges.

On January 6, 2002 at approximately 3:46 a.m., COMSAT Mobile Communications' Southbury, Conn. earth station received an Inmarsat-C "Man Overboard" distress call from Akademikis Zavarickis operating in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Equador. Responding to the call was COMSAT operator Joe Wheelahan, who contacted the ship on via an Inmarsat satellite voice call and connected them with the U.S. Coast Guard's Rescue Coordination Center in Norfolk, VA. Norfolk subsequently passed the information onto RCC Ecuador. A little more than three hours later, the man overboard was located and was returned safely to the vessel. COMSAT mid shift operator Wheelahan's quick response contacting Akademikis Zavarickis via voice communications and then connecting the ship with coast guard's RCC in Norfolk…

World Communication Center (WCC), a provider of worldwide satellite voice and data communications, announced that its MariTrack SSAS and ComCenter solutions have been approved for commercial sale by Iridium. Manufactured by Applied Satellite Engineering (ASE), WCC’s turnkey solutions provide industry leading product functionalities: online security and encryption, Ontec’s permission-based software features, Iridium’s global satellite technology and WCC’s 24 x 7 live customer support. According to Don Thoma, executive vice president, Iridium Satellite LLC, "The MariTrack and ComCenter solutions passed our rigorous testing and work seamlessly on Iridium's satellite network.

World Communication Center (WCC), a leading provider of global satellite voice and data communications, has provided nine satellite phones to assist Mercy Corps in its multi-country tsunami aid programs. WCC’s Iridium-based satellite communications solutions enable the field-based relief workers to communicate in areas left without cellular or land-line communications. “Mercy Corps has relied on WCC to provide satellite communications for relief and development efforts since 2002,” says Peter Dickinson, Director, Information Technology. “WCC is proud to support Mercy Corps in their distribution of life-saving aid to the tsunami survivors in possibly one of the largest relief efforts ever mobilized,” states Weldon Knape, CEO of WCC.

In its effort to continue its expansive growth in the South American market, Iridium® Satellite announced a partnership with Tesacom®, one of the key South American channel partners of Iridium service provider, Stratos Global Corporation. Iridium is a fast-growing service provider in the mobile satellite services (MSS) sector and operates the largest commercial – and only global – satellite constellation in the world. Stratos, the leading global provider of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions, is one of the key Iridium service partners operating around the world. Stratos is planning to offer a number of enhancements for Tesacom customers through the Stratos Advantage…

Iridium Satellite LLC, provider of global satellite voice and data communications, announced that it has launched Short Messaging Services (SMS) to commercial Iridium subscribers. The Iridium SMS service will allow subscribers to send and receive up to 160 characters per message to and from other subscribers anywhere around the globe. Subscribers will also be able to send and receive messages via e-mail addresses. SMS messages sent can be stored up to 8 days until delivered. The service will be supported over the Iridium 9505 handset and the Iridium 9522 L-band transceiver. Iridium plans to make the service available to and from cell phones within the fourth quarter of this year.

Iridium Satellite LLC has signed a non-exclusive agreement with SAIT Communications S.A. top-tier service provider of the only truly global, truly mobile satellite voice and data solution with complete coverage of the Earth's oceans, airways and Polar Regions. SAIT Communications S.A. (Former SAIT RadioHolland) currently provides satellite services for remote maritime, government and military users in Western Europe, the Mediterranean, Scandinavia, Asia Pacific and the Americas. SAIT's agreement with Iridium will enable it to provide its customers with a versatile communications service that will address customers' needs to stay in touch when operating in remote locations around the world.

COMSAT Mobile Communications' (CMC) Santa Paula, California, earth station is celebrating 25 years of continuous, around-the-clock operations, providing the critical communications link for customers on land, at sea, and in the air. CMC's west coast facility provides Inmarsat satellite communications coverage from western North America, across the Pacific Ocean and into Asia, the Pacific Rim nations, New Zealand, Australia, and the eastern Indian Ocean. The Santa Paula station has served as a principal communications lifeline providing instant communications to ships at sea, aircraft, and to people located in parts of the world where there is no communications infrastructure. For a quarter century, Santa Paula has often provided their sole means of contact with the rest of the world.