Sea Tel News

Cobham Satcom, a provider of radio and satellite communications solutions to the maritime and land mobile sectors, has unveiled Sea Tel 1500, a 1.5-meter dual-band, multi-orbit VSAT antenna solution.Available in single Ku- or Ka-band, or as a ‘two antennas in one’ dual Ku-Ka-band configuration, the Sea Tel 1500 enables vessels to seamlessly switch from Ku- to Ka-band in a simple click. In a world of communication technology transition marked by the emergence of new satellite constellations…

Satellite 2018 marks the launch of Cobham SATCOM’s Sea Tel 9711 Triband maritime antenna system, which leverages unique technology and capabilities from global communications company Viasat Inc. The Sea Tel 9711 Triband is the world’s first and only 2.4m maritime stabilized antenna capable of delivering full 2.4m gain performance across any C-, Ku-, or Ka-band network to maximize high-speed, high-quality broadband connectivity for high-demand maritime segments, such as Cruise, Energy and Government. The triband antenna system leverages radio frequency (RF) technology provided by Viasat to enable compatibility across any Ka-band satellite network operating in any orbit.

Companhia Brasileira de Offshore (CBO) has chosen Cobham SATCOM VSAT and Satellite TV (TVRO) antennas in addition to radio communication equipment for installation on six new Offshore Support Vessels (OSV). CBO’s state-of-the-art new OSVs have been commissioned to fulfil development contracts offshore Brazil and will be entering service during 2017 and 2018. The Cobham SATCOM equipment has been installed and is already supporting operations on the first of the new OSVs, with installation aboard the second vessel scheduled this month.

Cobham SATCOM’s SAILOR and Sea Tel antennas have been used by maritime VSAT service provider Marlink to test the upper limits of throughput on the new Intelsat 33e (IS-33e) satellite. The testing at Marlink’s Eik teleport included Cobham SATCOM’s Sea Tel 9711 IMA, Sea Tel 6012 VSAT and SAILOR 900 VSAT High Power systems, all of which demonstrated high throughput capabilities. IS-33e is the third of seven new High Throughput Satellites (HTS) that power Intelsat’s next generation EpicNG network, an exciting new platform for very high-speed maritime broadband.

Cobham SATCOM and SpeedCast International Limited have concluded a global framework agreement covering the provision of maritime stabilized antennas, which offers high speed connectivity at sea. The commercial framework was awarded following a multi-vendor selection process by SpeedCast, based on a technical, commercial and supply chain evaluation criteria and will run three years. It is expected to generate a double-digit million-dollar figure in revenue for Cobham. SpeedCast…

Sea IT has entered a long term ICT agreement with Veritas Tankers. The agreement comprises installation of BlueCORE Generation 4, an ICT platform specifically developed for the marine industry, and BlueCONNECT, a virtualized software which acts as mail server and carrier controller. Veritas Tankers will upgrade and have the installations made on all its vessels: Astina, Astral and Astoria. Sea IT will support Veritas Tankers during a three-year period though the Fixed BlueCORE ICT agreement.

Cobham plc has established a new strategic business unit (SBU) Cobham SATCOM: Thrane & Thrane will form its core. Headquartered in Denmark, Cobham SATCOM is led by Thrane & Thrane CEO Walther Thygesen with assistance from a multinational management team, and includes Cobham’s satcom facilities in Cape Town, South Africa, Concord, California and Orlando, Florida. Cobham SATCOM is now twice the size of what either Thrane & Thrane or Cobham’s legacy satcom businesses were prior to this coambination. Rebranding of Thrane & Thrane will begin immediately and is expected to complete during 2013. In addition to adopting the Cobham SATCOM name and Cobham’s brand, the SATCOM SBU will be rebranding its products throughout 2013.

The historic expedition to the Mariana Trench’s lowest point, the Challenger Deep, which lies 6.83 miles (10.99 kilometers) below the ocean surface, is the first extensive scientific exploration in a manned submersible of the deepest spot on Earth. Piloting the Deepsea Challenger, which is outfitted for scientific exploration, James Cameron will conduct tests, collect samples, and document the experience in the high-resolution 3-D for which he’s known globally. Working for the Deep Sea Challenge project's communications provider Telstra…

Now in its fourth year, Project Kaisei has come to rely upon satellite communications for effective communication with colleagues ashore as well as its global support base. Mary Crowley talks about how the project’s requirements for communications are continuously evolving. In the digital age it is easy to take for granted the benefits that reliable connectivity provides. In the maritime industry alone, always-on communications are supporting a wealth of applications to improve operational efficiency and crew welfare.

At the start of Inmarsat’s Global Partner Conference in Barcelona, Cobham has announced plans to introduce its Sea Tel FX line of FleetBroadband products, scheduled for availability in March 2012. Sea Tel FX line will consist of a complete suite of FleetBroadband products with Sea Tel FX 500 being the first to enter the market, followed by the FX 250 and FX 150 in due course. These products will include a comprehensive range of advanced user terminal features. The development of the Sea Tel FX line builds directly on Cobham’s unique position as the strategic launch partner contracted by Inmarsat for the forthcoming Global Xpress services, scheduled for introduction in 2013.

Sea Tel is pleased to announce that it has hired Mr. Chris Insall as the Manager, Commercial Programmes. Chris will be responsible for new business development. He will be based in the UK and will work from the Cobham Leatherhead office. Chris  will report to Peter Broadhurst, Director of Sales and Marketing. Insall has worked in the maritime satellite communications for over 15years and joins Sea Tel from Inmarsat, where he was the Maritime Product Manager. Since 2000, Insall worked at Inmarsat with roles encompassing Business and Product Management in areas including deployment of Inmarsat’s flagship Fleet and FleetBroadband product portfolios and integration of new value-added services such as safety, telemetry, and VoIP telephony.

Vizada has launched a range of maritime broadband packages integrating Ku-band VSAT and mobile satellite services (MSS), including the newly-launched Vizada XChangeTM. Shipping companies can select the combination of VSAT, MSS hardware and airtime best suited to their needs while being able to upgrade to a higher bandwidth plan or next generation satellite service during or after contract termination. The packages range from unlimited 256kbps VSAT airtime-only starting at $1,500 per month up to an unlimited 1024kbps VSAT plus MSS airtime and hardware back-up, for a monthly fee of $2,750. Customers can choose between a VSAT antenna from Thrane & Thrane…

Svitzer UK and Sanderson Maritime have launched Seatel, a North Sea barge with a 70 bedroom hotel module offering a comfortable, stable platform and high quality accommodation at half the cost of current market alternatives. Designed for anchorage in deep-sea locations, Seatel covers twenty five thousand square feet and has been designed to offer the space and feel of an equivalent land based motel. It was developed to be self sufficient, with onboard generators, an infield maintenance workshop, storage facilities, restaurant, gym, lounges and social areas.

Marlink, maritime satellite communications integrator, introduced its WaveCall satellite communications systems for merchant and leisure vessels. One of the new features offered with WaveCall is prepaid Calling Cards. WaveCall uses the Sea Tel(r) Ku-band VSAT 4006 antenna system. The launch of WaveCall by Marlink is facilitated by increased satellite capacity in current coverage areas such as the Americas, Europe and the Caribbean. Marlink is also adding new coverage areas to meet customers' growing need for high bandwidth in day-to-day business at sea. (www.marlink.com)

Sea Tel has released the first USAT (Ultra Small Aperture Terminal) antenna. Sea Tel announced a smaller, lighter 60 cm antenna system, the first 60 cm marine antenna to meet FCC’s and ETSI’s specification allowing multi mode use with Spread Spectrum, TDMA and SCPC services. The USAT 24 is aimed at Coastal trading vessels and inland craft. Services are currently being Beta trialed with a number of modem providers including Hughes, Viasat, iDirect, and STM on a number of satellite operator’s footprints world-wide. Service in Europe and the US is expected to start in the 4th Quarter of 2008.

Marlink, provider of maritime satellite communications, has agreed to purchase the WaveCall™ brand from Sea Tel®. Marlink will package its maritime VSAT solution and full-service support network with the Sea Tel® 4006 Ku-band antenna system. Sea Tel®'s 4006 Ku-band antenna provides satellite communications specifically in the maritime environment. It is comprised of Above Deck and Below Deck equipment designed to withstand extreme marine conditions and maintain a stable connection, ideal for vessels that require "always-on" satellite communications. WaveCall™ by Marlink provides e-mail, Internet, voice and IP packages for the leisure yachting sector.

The Sea Tel brand has changed with the addition of Cobham’s name to the new Sea Tel logo. Sea Tel’s products and service will remain the same, the only difference will be the new logo displayed on Sea Tel domes and wherever the Sea Tel name is displayed. Sea Tel’s headquarters remains in and all contact information does not change, except that Sea Tel, Inc. will now be doing business as Cobham SATCOM Marine Systems.

Globe Wireless announced that Steve Levine has joined as Director of Sales, . As his first task, Steve will assist Globe Wireless with the opening of its 15th international sales and support office in . Levine's background includes nine years with Stratos Global as the Business Development Manager, where he was responsible for Inmarsat and Iridium channel development and marketing. Steve was heavily involved in maritime VSAT offerings including iDirect and Sea Tel antenna systems. He also has past experience with PictureTel video conferencing systems.

Radio Holland, a maritime electronics solutions provider, has been awarded a significant, multi-year contract to supply communication network services to a consortium of maritime shipping companies who are members of the Canadian Ship-owners Association (CSA) and the Lake Carriers' Association (LCA). The CSA and LCA member companies operate 131 Canadian-flagged and American-flagged ships providing bulk carrier shipping services on the Great Lakes, coastal and Artic waters of Canada. The site surveys are already underway, and the installations will begin in January. The communication network services supplied by Radio Holland include, amongst others, Seatel VSAT equipment, iDirect, Linksys and Cisco.

With WaveCall MCM3, Sea Tel offers simultaneous bi-directional high-speed data and voice in one small antenna dome. SeaTel’s coverage includes North America, the North Atlantic, the Caribbean and Europe. The three modems respond to demand by activating one, two or three circuits as required by the data and voice load. The modems have the capacity to offer speeds up the 28.8K with hardware alone and with the SatSpeed compression software embedded, the system can achieve landline modem equivalents up to 144K. Installation requires the mounting of 20in. x 7 in height dome above decks. Below decks there is an RJ45 local area network connection, an RJ11 phone connection and a custom control panel which identifies which modems are operating, signal strength, gateway I.D.

Hinckley Yacht Services, the newly renamed Little Harbor full service complex here, has announced the appointment of David Frank as electronics department supervisor, establishing the department as a full service dealership. He will be assisted by Roger Bernard as electronics service manager. Previously, electronics work at Little Harbor was subcontracted out to vendors and technicians in the Portsmouth area. "These men have been working in the marine electronics business for over 25 years so they know the clientele and the demands of the job," said Geoff Prior, operations manager of the yard. Frank brings 17 years of experience as a marine electronics technician. manufacturers such as Furuno, Northstar, B&G, Seatel, and Raytheon.

Maritime communications is an estimated $1 billion industry, encompassing ship operators, merchant fleets, governments and private yacht owners. There is arguably no more quickly evolving technical sector in the maritime market than the satellite communications niche. Safety, operational efficiency and quality of life onboard vessels of all type and size today more than ever depends on clear, reliable and cost effective satellite communication services and products. The following reports on recent advances from major service, product and system suppliers. The year started with news that Connexion by Boeing, a business unit of The Boeing Company, would roll-out its high speed satellite broadband capability for the maritime industry.

After a year and a half development process that included antenna upgrades and a new one-piece radome design, Sea Tel applied for and was granted Eutelsat Type Approval on their 4996T maritime VSAT system. This is the first time that a complete maritime "system" including antenna, pedestal and radome has been granted Eutelsat Type Approval. "Being granted Type Approval from Eutelsat is extremely valuable to Sea Tel. We believe it will be even more valuable for our customers who will save many man-hours of required testing time that they will now be able to waive because of this Type Approval," said Robert C. Matthews, Sea Tel Vice President of Technical Sales.