Phone Services News

KVH Industries, Inc. has shipped more than 7,000 mini-VSAT Broadbandsm systems, designed and manufactured by KVH to provide mobile connectivity at sea. The TracPhone V-series satellite communications antenna systems are currently in use on everything from small recreational sailboats cruising the coastline to 1,000-foot commercial freighters transiting the world’s oceans. KVH launched the mini-VSAT Broadband service in July 2007, and has seen the popularity of the service grow, coinciding with an overall trend in the maritime industry toward increased reliance on broadband connectivity. As recently as September 2016, industry analyst Northern Sky Research reported that KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband customers account for 29 percent of the vessels using Ku-band service.

CellAtSea®, the brand name of Maritime Communication Partners (MCP) digital wireless services, enables passengers and crew to remain connected through voice, messaging, MMS, mobile internet and Blackberry services while at sea, and the company states a record 24% growth in its digital wireless service over the past 3 years. MCP's global maritime wireless network provides passengers and crew with superior wireless connectivity, and instant access to onboard information and entertainment applications. Virtually seamless, the service is conveniently billed by the user's home carrier. "We experienced an average of 180% increase in data traffic with record passenger and crew use of mobile internet and smart phone services in 2011.

Stratos also launches new mobile-phone tracking portal, fully integrated with Iridium Extreme. Stratos Global, the leading global provider of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions, today announced the commercial availability of the new Iridium Extreme(TM) satellite phone. Stratos today will begin shipping Iridium Extreme from all of its warehouses worldwide. Stratos is one of the world’s largest Iridium service providers with nearly 50,000 Iridium subscribers around the globe.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises passengers can now remain in touch in the most remote corners of the world. The luxury cruise operator is adding OnAir’s mobile phone services, already deployed on MS EUROPA, to its two Expedition ships, MS HANSEATIC and MS BREMEN. OnAir’s satellite service was designed to allow passengers to use their own mobile devices just as they do on dry land, for calls, text messages, email and mobile data. Usage is billed by the passenger’s mobile operator, in the same way as international roaming, making it very simple to use.

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.

Mobile satellite telephone company Globalstar L.P. said on Monday it recorded a net loss of $3.8 billion in 2000 and it could seek bankruptcy protection if it cannot execute a restructuring plan. The company warned in an annual filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that its restructuring plan may fail if it conflicts with certain restrictions under existing agreements or if it cannot forge an accord with its creditors. Globalstar is a partnership that was formed in November 1994 by satellite firm Loral Space & Communications Ltd. and cellular telecommunications company Qualcomm Inc. Loral owns about 38 percent of Globalstar L.P. Globalstar Telecommunications Ltd., the public Globalstar entity, owns more than 40 percent of the business.

The evolution of satellite communication use at sea closely mirrors that of land-based communication trends: a never-ending quest for speed, reliability and lower costs. While it is foolhardy to select this or any other single technology as the one with the greatest impact on the maritime industry, a strong case could be made for satellite communication. Prior to the introduction of radio, maritime communication was generally limited to line-of-sight visual signaling during clear weather, plus noise-makers such as bells and foghorns. The advent of radio greatly reduced the isolation of ships during emergencies and was quickly responsible for saving thousands of lives. The first ship-to-shore, two-way radio conversation reportedly occurred in 1922, between Deal Beach, N.J., and the S.S.

First announced this past fall, a new four-year agreement between Marlink and Radisson Seven Seas, was finalized during a press conference at this year's Sea Trade Cruise Shipping Convention in Miami, Fla. Held at the Raleigh Hotel, executives from Marlink, (a wholly owned subsidiary of Telenor); and Radisson Seven Seas Cruises, the briefing outlined the satellite services that will be provided onboard Seven Seas Navigator and newbuild Seven Seas Voyager, which is to be launched this year. The two vessels will join Seven Seas Mariner, which has been offering Marlink's service since 2001, in providing high speed data communications at 128 kbps.