Maritime Broadband Services News

Mobile satellite communications company Inmarsat said it as secured an an agreement with Clearwater Seafood that commits Canada’s largest vessel-operating seafood company to Fleet Xpress high-speed maritime broadband services.Clearwater Seafood chose to install the Fleet Xpress combination of high speed Ka-band and continuous FleetBroadband backup on board seven vessels replacing Ku-band services on each vessel. Deployed off Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, each vessel is being fitted with GX100NX antennas from Intellian.“Robust connectivity for the crew is imperative for Clearwater…

KVH Industries, Inc., announced today that its longtime satellite capacity partner SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation (SJC) has agreed to invest $4.5 million in KVH as part of the two companies’ ongoing commitment to deliver next-generation maritime broadband services. KVH and SJC intend to collaborate on value-added services in the area of shipping digitalization and improved broadband access at sea. SJC agreed to purchase $4.5 million of KVH common stock in a private placement at a purchase price of $11.95 per share…

Marlink and Intelsat S.A., operator of the world’s first Globalized Network, announced that itsstrategic agreement – initiated in 2014 to introduce improved maritime offerings to the marketplace  – continues to pay dividends for the companies and the maritime end-users. Marlink continues to roll out additional connectivity services via Intelsat’s Globalized Network which includes secure access to Intelsat’s global Ku-band capacity and terrestrially managed network, IntelsatOne. Marlink is now preparing to deliver a quantum improvement in throughput that will help satisfy end-user demand as the first of the Intelsat EpicNG satellites is on schedule to be integrated into the network solution in the second quarter of 2016.

Examining some questions regarding commercial autonomous and drone ships, as well as why VSAT currently presents the best solution for the communications and control of such vessels. The topic of autonomous shipping has been much in the news recently. We have seen, for example, the announcement in September 2015 that Inmarsat has begun participating in the Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Applications Initiative (AAWA) recently launched by Rolls Royce. This initiative is designed to move autonomous shipping from the drawing board to a commercial reality.

KVH Industries, Inc., acquired Videotel, a producer of high-quality training films and e-Learning services for the commercial maritime industry. Servicing over 11,000 vessels, Videotel is a market leader in the provision of maritime training services, offering video, animation, e-Learning computer-based training (CBT), and interactive distance learning courses. “The acquisition of Videotel is an important addition to our portfolio of services targeting the needs of commercial seafarers and supports our strategic vision of extending our maritime broadband service to include delivering premium content to vessels,” said Martin Kits van Heyningen, KVH’s chief executive officer.

KVH Industries, Inc., (KVHI) today announced that it has acquired Videotel, a producer of training films and e-Learning services for the commercial maritime industry. Videotel services more than 11,000 vessels in the provision of maritime training services, offering video, animation, e-Learning computer-based training (CBT) and interactive distance learning courses. “The acquisition of Videotel is an important addition to our portfolio of services targeting the needs of commercial…

VT iDirect, Inc. (iDirect), a company of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), today announced that UK-based independent teleport operator Cobbett Hill Earth Station is upgrading the network of its maritime services unit, ION (International Ocean Services) to the iDirect Evolution 3.2 Platform. The acquisition of maritime satellite communications provider ION in 2013 marked Cobbett Hill Earth Station’s expansion into the commercial maritime market, which according to NSR will hold close to 1 million in-service units by 2023. This will be the first in a series of technology investments that Cobbett Hill Earth Station has planned for ION. iDirect is a world leader in satellite-based IP communications technology.

Maritime satellite communications provider Inmarsat says it now connects leisure and fishing vessels with a specially designed broadband service. Accessing weather information and chart updates, keeping in contact with loved ones or simply checking the news are now as simple to do at sea as they are on land with the launch of Fleet One from Inmarsat Maritime. From nnow on, yacht and fishing boat owners can take full advantage of maritime broadband services previously only available to much larger vessels. Whether  on a sailing holiday or an extended fishing expedition, the new Fleet One service ensures small vessel owners have uninterrupted access to the internet, while being able to send SMS messages and have telephone conversations from on board their boat, anywhere in the world.

SES inform that  OmniAccess, a leading VSAT service provider and network integrator in the luxury superyacht market, has signed a new Ku-band capacity deal on SES’ NSS-12 satellite to provide high-speed internet connectivity to superyachts in the Mediterranean, Black, Caspian and Arabian Seas. OmniAccess will utilise the capacity located at 57 degrees East to keep their customers connected anytime via the data, VOIP, video conferencing services that they offer. “As the superyacht industry continues to boom…

Telenor Satellite Services, a subsidiary of Telenor of Norway, today announced that it has signed a three-year communication agreement with Neste Oil Corporation of Helsinki, Finland for maritime broadband services. Under the terms of the contract, Telenor will provide Sealink Ku-Band services onboard 11 tankers with all vessels scheduled to have Sealink service by August of this year. Sealink's Ku-Band service provides Neste Shipping with high-speed data communications coverage throughout Western Europe. Offering maritime broadband communications at speeds of up to 2 megabits per second, Telenor's Sealink service enables efficient and cost-effective 'at sea' communications for ship operations including Internet access, video conferencing, e-mails, faxes, and telephone calling.