Fleet 77 Service News

Xantic, the first global provider of Inmarsat Fleet 33 and Fleet 55 for all four-ocean regions, announced a unique offer on these recently launched services. Together with the Fleet 77 service launched in the beginning of 2002, Xantic now offers the full suite of Inmarsat Fleet services. The Fleet 33 and Fleet 55 offer comprises US$ 500 of free airtime for each new activation using Xantic. It is available for terminals activated up until 1 April 2004 and the free traffic is to be used before 1 July 2004.

On April 1, Xantic became the world’s first company to offer the new maritime Inmarsat Fleet 77 service globally. It is also the first provider to have its service commercially approved for global operations by Inmarsat. It is the service’s availability via the company’s Burum (Netherlands) and Perth (Australia) Land Earth Stations that allow Xantic to become the first LESO to offer a fully global Inmarsat Fleet service, spanning all four Inmarsat ocean regions. Approval for commercial operation was granted by Inmarsat at the end of March following a successful and extensive test program. Inmarsat Fleet allows several forms of rapid and effective communication…

JRC’s new Fleet 77 JUE-410F Inmarsat is built to employ high quality and advanced technology. The Fleet 77 system is considered by Inmarsat to be the new generation of Sat B which most Captains are familiar with. High powered antennas supporting Inmarsat’s new Fleet 77 service sustain internet data transfer rates 7-20 times faster than the Inmarsat B. Designed to search for, acquire, identify and track the signal, these stabilized antennas are plug-in and play operation once installed. Service packages are available from a variety of vendors. World travelers can use the new Inmarsat Fleet 77 service, which offers global Internet access at 64 Kbps (Kilobits per second).

Norwegian satellite equipment provider Nera SatCom AS, together with Inmarsat, introduced the new Nera F33 product concept to the maritime market. The Nera F33 will fill the gap between the existing Inmarsat Mini-M service /Nera WorldPhone and the global Inmarsat Fleet 77 service / Nera F77. The new Nera F33 is based on the Inmarsat Fleet F33 service concept, providing the light marine market with improved data communications from equipment suitable for the demands of today’s commercial and leisure fleet. The launch of the service is due to early 2003. Satellite communications are increasingly being used by marine vessels in order to access online connectivity with the onshore world.

Xantic has become the first company to announce the availability of the new Fleet 33 and Fleet 55 services. Last Friday a contract was signed with Nera for upgrades of both Xantic Land Earth StationsLES’s in Holland (Burum) and Australia (Perth). The services will be available early April and will be provided in the 4 Ocean regions. At the same time Xantic’s Fleet 77 service will be enhanced by the addition of a 9.6k fax channel. Fleet 33 / Fleet 55 are the new Inmarsat services specifically targeted at smaller vessels who have data requirements. Prime segments include yachts, fishing, coast guards and coastal commercial coastal vessels operating within the Inmarsat spot beams.