Voice And Data Traffic News

Technology is central, not merely an add-on, to ship manager brand value. Ship managers who operate vessels on behalf of their owner clients, are the lynchpin of international shipping. As the industry has gone through rounds of relentless cost cutting, at times of increasing regulatory scrutiny, and commercial pressures for high standards, third party managers have filled the need for raising quality, while maintaining tight cost controls. The rise of third party managers in the 1980s and 1990s…

Orlando, Florida-based, Comtech Systems, has received a US$2.4-million contract to install the world’s first digital over-the-horizon microwave communications system, to be used on a deep water tension-leg oil platform for a major international oil company. The design of this system was first developed by Comtech Systems, Inc. for a semi-submersible platform in 2008 and was recently deployed in the South China Sea in the summer of 2013. These systems are unique for troposcatter communications because they require a stabilized antenna system on the offshore floating platform able to keep locked to a fixed antenna at a shore location in a variety of sea states…

Solution that increases efficiency of ship’s operations fits in Imtech Marine’s life cycle management strategy. A  global maritime company Imtech Marine (Rotterdam) and satellite communications specialist Navarino (Piraeus) have announced a partnership. Imtech Marine has become global supplier of Infinity, an advanced maritime bandwidth management and optimisation solution that can be used onboard ships equipped with IP-based satellite terminals (such as Fleet BroadBand or VSAT). Imtech Marine chose Infinity for its ability to support Imtech Marine’s Global VSAT network and various connectivity solutions. Imtech Marine offices that will be offering Infinity include Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, China, Singapore and USA.

Next-generation remote powers high-bandwidth applications, unleashes the performance of high throughput satellites. VT iDirect, Inc. (iDirect), a company of VT Systems Inc. (VT Systems), has announced key performance statistics for the Evolution X7 remote, the first in a family of next-generation remotes that have been optimized to deliver best-in-class Adaptive TDMA throughput performance and operate with high throughput satellites. Built on an entirely new multi-core hardware system…

Rapid installation to save shipping companies’ time & budgets. 24 hours is all it takes to get a VSAT up and running, according to the new commitment that Marlink, an Astrium Services company, is making. The established satcom provider has developed a concise antenna installation and commissioning system that will support engineers and crews to have vessels fully connected to Marlink’s WaveCall standardized VSAT service in just 24 hours. “Through our centrally managed global network of field engineers and service partners, Marlink can have a vessel fully connected on VSAT for voice and data traffic in 24 hours or less,” explains Tore Morten Olsen, CEO of Astrium Services Business Communication, Maritime.

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, has been equipped with MTN Satellite Communications’ (MTN) state-of-the-art VSAT satellite communications system. The 1,184-ft, 225,282-gross ton Oasis of the Seas carries up to 5,400 passengers and a crew of more than 2,000. The satellite communication requirements for such a massive ship presented special challenges, according to MTN. “The communications suite is a critical component for operating the ship and its passenger services,” said Max Schmidt, vice president of information technology, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. “For the inaugural voyage of Oasis of the Seas, MTN supplied the highest bandwidth ever used on a single ship in the history of the cruise industry,” said Brent Horwitz, senior vice president of MTN.

Inmarsat has confirmed that its new FleetBroadband 150 (FB150) service is now live and passing commercial voice and data traffic on the network. According to Piers Cunningham, Director of Maritime Business for Inmarsat, FB150 was “designed specifically to handle broadband IP data, as well as high-quality voice and SMS.”  The company has begun shipping new hardware to accompany the system.

In relation to the service launch of Fleet77 by Inmarsat on April 10, 2002, Thrane & Thrane is has started shipping Capsat Fleet77 products to its partners and distributors worldwide. "We have now been shipping Capsat Fleet77 systems to our distributors for a couple of weeks in order to enable them to demonstrate the product to the end users from the beginning of the service period" says Kim Bille Gram, Maritime Sales Manager, Thrane & Thrane. "We are pleased to be able to provide Capsatâ Fleet77 terminals to ship owners all over the world. Our Capsatâ Fleet77 systems have at this stage been tested onboard 7 different ships, which have been sailing in all ocean regions. These ships range from large container carriers to small fishing vessels.

Telenor Satellite Services, a subsidiary of Telenor of Norway announced that it now offers high-speed 128 kbps maritime satellite communications service globally. Telenor has added Pacific Ocean coverage to its existing Fleet F77 128 kbps service in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions. The service is terminated at the company's Pacific Ocean teleport in Santa Paula, California. The Fleet F77 128 kbps service operates over the Inmarsat satellite system and uses Fleet F77 hardware while virtually doubling the data speed normally available associated with the service. The Fleet service and hardware, commercially available since 2002, is currently used by many large vessels such as merchant ships, oil and energy transport ships, cruise liners and ferries, and super yachts.

Satellite communications company, Globalstar, has reported its results for the quarter ended June 30, 2001, which showed steady increases in both voice and data traffic, with a broadening base of new customers among key industry targets. Efforts to restructure the company's finances are continuing with the assistance of outside advisors. In the meantime, the company's marketing and sales efforts are showing growing acceptance of the service across industries and government organizations around the world. As a result, the company's business measurements, both in minutes of use (MOUs) and subscriber numbers, rose substantially over the previous quarter.