Telephone Service News

Iceland's On-Waves selects Delaware's IMSWorkX feature rich service delivery platform for its cruise & merchant ship mobile telephone service. Maritime mobile operator On-Waves Ehf, a subsidiary of Icelandic global telecom service provider Siminn (formerly Iceland Telecom), has selected the XpressWorkX Service Delivery Platform from IMSWorkX, Inc. as a base from which to enhance its range of rich IP-based mobile telephony services on cruise ships and merchant marine vessels. The On-Waves customer base of vessels is diverse, multi-national and multi-lingual. "XpressWorkX is an ideal platform for carrier companies like On-Waves because it offers rapid customization and adaptation of existing applications as well as creation of new ones.

Enhancing Safe Operation by Always-on Connection. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) announced that its subsidiary MOL LNG Transport Co., completed installing a high-speed, monthly fixed-charge (flat rate) Internet service “OceanBB” for vessels using VSAT*1 provided by SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation (SKY Perfect JSAT; President: Shinji Takada), on the MOL LNG-managed Wakaba Maru and four other LNG carriers in October 2011. Since July 2008, MOL, MOL LNG, and SKY Perfect JSAT conducted a joint on-board trial operation of marine broadband on LNG carriers managed by MOL LNG.

As analysts continue to try and gauge the full economic impact of the fast-evolving political and social crisis in Egypt, the concern of the shipping industry are centered on the Egypt controlled Suez Canal, a transport route for a substantial amount of the world's energy, with more than 35,000 ships passing through the Suez annually, approximately 2,700 of them tankers. Worries regarding potential canal disruption stem in part from the the Egyptian government's cut-off Internet and mobile telephone service in the country on Friday. Shares in tanker companies surged on Friday on fears of a Suez shutdown. If that were to happen, many ships would have to make more costly trips around the southern tip Africa to reach their destinations, yielding more revenue for the shipping interests.

Baltic Sea cruise ferry operator, Viking Line, has entered into a new five-year contract with Marlink continuing its existing agreement for the supply and operation of its satellite communications and the enhancement of its Sealink(TM) systems onboard the company's fleet of ferries. From its head office in Åland, an island in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland, Viking Line operates seven overnight cruise-ferries on routes between Finland, Sweden and Estonia. Marlink has…

KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq: KVHI) announced a new promotion at the Palm Beach Boat Show in West Palm Beach, FL that will allow boaters to save money while putting satellite communications on their vessels. The promotion offers a $1,000 airtime credit to customers who purchase a new TracPhone 252 satellite communications system through June 30, 2009, and activate their Inmarsat mini-M service using Inmarsat Airtime by KVH. The TracPhone 252 offers a single-cable, self-contained design. This system also allows the user to simultaneously connect telephone/PABX systems, fax machines, and computers to create a versatile onboard communications center. And with Inmarsat’s near-global mini-M satellite coverage, reliable, high-quality telephone service is always available. (www.kvh.com)

Crews on commercial oil and gas, shipping, and government vessels in the Persian Gulf now have access to affordable broadband Internet and crystal-clear telephone service throughout the region with the recent expansion of the mini-VSAT Broadband(SM) service from KVH Industries (NASDAQ:KVHI) . The new coverage area brings affordable satellite communications to a region where secure real-time communications are a necessity, via KVH's rugged TracPhone(R) V7 hardware. In addition to providing service to the KVH mini-VSAT maritime system, this expansion also extends the ViaSat Yonder(SM) mobile network for in-flight broadband to business and commercial aircraft.

Broadband Internet and telephone service is now available to vessels crossing the Pacific Ocean due to the rollout of the new Pacific Ocean Region for the mini-VSAT Broadband satellite communications service from KVH Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq: KVHI). The new coverage area, which includes Alaska, the west coasts of Canada and the United States, Hawaii, and extends into Asia, is part of the KVH and ViaSat (Nasdaq: VSAT) joint effort to provide affordable mobile Ku-band broadband connections around the globe. As a result, vessels now have access to uninterrupted Ku-band Internet and voice services from the Asian coast eastward throughout North America and the Caribbean, across the North Atlantic, and all the way through Mediterranean waters.

Marlink has completed a new five-year agreement with Delphin Cruises of Hamburg, Germany, to provide complete onboard satellite communications for its luxury liner, the Delphin Renaissance. The agreement calls for Marlink, a company within Telenor Satellite Services formed to serve as the preferred interface between maritime customers and the satellite communications industry, to provide Sealink high-speed data service. Operating at speeds up to 128 kbps, the Sealink solution allows guests and crew to enjoy greater access to e-mail, fax services, and telephone service.

OSLO, Norway and ROCKVILLE, Maryland (October 27, 2003) - Marlink today announced that it has signed a five-year agreement with the owners of the MV Mona Lisa, represented by Kyma Ship Management, Inc. of Miami, Florida, to provide complete satellite communications onboard the vessel. The agreement calls for Marlink, a company within Telenor Satellite Services formed to serve as the preferred interface between maritime customers and the satellite communications industry, to provide Sealink high-speed communications service. Operating at speeds up to 2 Megabits per second, the Sealink solution allows guests and crew to enjoy greater access to the Internet, e-mail, fax services, and telephone service.

Maritime Telecommunications Network (MTN), a Verestar company, has signed a three-year contract with ResidenSea to become the exclusive telecommunications provider for its new vessel, The World, the first resort community at sea that continuously runs around the globe. MTN was awarded the competitive contract in collaboration with Norwegian agent, General Industry Systems, located in Stavanger, Norway. Specialists in providing communications facilities for all maritime vessels as well as the cruise line industry using total global satellite services, MTN will install its Digital Ship Earth Station (DSES) onboard The World within the next few months.

A British sailor failed in a risky attempt to help a French solo rower who has been facing a communications breakdown in heavy south Pacific seas since the Iridium global mobile phone company went bankrupt. Ellen MacArthur, sailing in the region called the "screaming 50s," changed course to try to bring rower Jo Le Guen a replacement communication system, her sponsor Kingfisher Challenges said. MacArthur, 23, and her crew reached Le Guen's 29 ft. (9 m) craft Keep It Blue in harsh weather conditions with just over two hours of daylight left. Icy squalls with winds reaching 30 knots and turbulent seas made transferring a bag containing a portable Magellan e-mail unit extremely hazardous, the sponsor said.

Globalstar, L.P. brought its next-generation strategizing to fruition with the release of full commercial access of its mobile satellite service in the U.S. through its distributor Globalstar U.S.A. With the recent demise of Iridium, and ICO Global Communications' ongoing recovery from bankruptcy, Globalstar's entry into the market is seemingly ideal. Vessel owner/operators increasingly rely on state-of-the-art communication tools to ensure safe, efficient operations. Much as has transpired in consumer markets, the wider availability of communication technology — and subsequent drive-down of equipment and airtime pricing — fuels airtime usage.

The competitive satellite communications market has taken an additional step toward consolidation, with Station 12 — an independent operating business owned 65 percent by KPN (Royal Dutch Telecom) and 35 percent by Telstra — leading the way having the intention of cornering the market. Station 12 recently outlined its strategy to double its size in the next three years, both through organic growth and acquisitions. Station 12 already claims to have 24 percent of the competitive Inmarsat maritime and mobile satellite communications sector, with current annual sales of $215 million. This is expected to rise to $500 million by 2003. The company is the largest customer and shareholder in Inmarsat, the leading provider of wholesale satellite airtime.

As competition continues to escalate within the offshore energy industry, major players often differentiate themselves by offering improved and innovative services to customers. For Brazil-based NorSkan Offshore, an offshore supply vessel company, delivering exceptional quality and responsiveness to its customers is its top priority. NorSkan recently entered into a multi-year agreement with CapRock Communications of Brazil to receive reliable, turnkey satellite communications services. While communications providers are a dime a dozen, reliable providers are few and far between. In an effort to ensure the communication solution it deployed would deliver the same level of quality and dependability it is known for…

The remnants of Tropical Storm Barry doused the Florida Panhandle and Alabama with heavy rains on Monday and threatened to bring floods and tornadoes as it headed inland, forecasters said. Barry was downgraded to a tropical depression with maximum winds of just 30 mph hours after steaming ashore from the Gulf of Mexico with winds just short of hurricane strength near the town of Destin, 60 miles west of Panama City, around 2 a.m. EDT. The storm whipped up a strong surf, toppled trees across roadways and shredded power lines but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or major flooding. It dumped up to 10 inches of rain on the Panhandle and forecasters warned of possible floods and tornadoes in its wake.

The owner of a small inland tug company has no choice but to come in to the office every Saturday morning to update his fleet and load locations for his customers; he can't reliably update his crew with change orders as the tugs frequently travel in rural areas with no cell phone coverage. On the coast, a marine ops center frequently needs to get change orders to its vessels transiting the area. Unfortunately, the center often has to wait until the boats have moved inshore before contact can be made and new orders communicated. In this case, the fastest way between points A to point B often takes an alphabetical detour, costing time and money, negatively impacting the management of valuable marine resources. Common problems? Yes.

MariTEL, "The Marine Telephone Company" has announced that all vessels in or near New York/New Jersey and Baltimore Harbors can utilize the company's "Marine Operator" VHF marine telephone service to make calls to home, update relatives, call operations centers, or for any other purpose. The call is both for ship-to-shore calls as well as shore-to-ship calls, which can originate from any US area code. This "Free Five-Minute Call" offer will stay in effect until Wednesday, September 26, 2001. The USCG issued emergency regulations earlier today affecting closures of New York/New Jersey Harbor, Baltimore and the Potomac River that restrict most vessel movements.

Advances in satellite communication product and service technology seem to have outpaced many of the markets they seek to serve. However, despite some jittery times for the big three global satcom providers, it appears that maritime and offshore markets stand to gain real, bottom-line-driven results by adopting the latest communication technology solutions. The maritime industry has traditionally — with its generous mix of large corporate and small independent ownership — taken considerable flak for its collective conservative nature in regards to the integration of advanced technological products and systems onboard vessels, large and small.

Advances in satellite communication product and service technology seem to have outpaced many of the markets they seek to serve. However, despite some jittery times for the big three global satcom providers, it appears that maritime and offshore markets stand to gain real, bottom-line-driven results by adopting the latest communication technology solutions. The maritime industry has traditionally — with its generous mix of large corporate and small independent ownership — taken considerable flak for its collective conservative nature in regards to the integration of advanced technological products and systems onboard vessels, large and small.

Globalstar, a worldwide mobile satellite telephone service, has expanded its marketing reach to the maritime industry by appointing Globe Wireless as a franchise service provider. Globe Wireless, Inc. owns and operates a worldwide wireless network used to move messages and data to and from ships around the world. Under the new franchise agreement, Globe Wireless will now also offer Globalstar voice and data services to the commercial maritime market through its 141 sales, service and support facilities located in 44 countries. Also, Globe Wireless customers who subscribe to Globalstar service will be able to make and receive telephone calls from all maritime areas covered by the Globalstar gateway network.

Comsat Mobile Communications (CMC) has signed a three-year agreement with Cunard Line Limited to provide worldwide data and satellite communications for the Line's fleet of eight cruise vessels - including renowned Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE 2). Virtually doubling the capacity of satellite communications available to crew and passengers on all Cunard vessels, the increased capacity will allow for greater access to e-mail, online services and telephone service. Comsat is also supplying a new 128 kpbs C-Band service for QE 2, permitting simultaneous transmission of large amounts of data for Wide Area Networking, voice and dial-up data phone calls and Internet access.