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Satellite Phones News

22 Jun 2023

As the Clock Ticks on the Titan Sub, an Expert Explains What Safety Features a Submersible Should Have

(File photo: OceanGate Expeditions)

The oxygen supply of the missing Titan submersible is expected to run out today around 10am GMT, or 8pm AEST.A frantic search continues for the Titan and its five occupants, with sonar buoys having recorded “banging” noises in the search area on Tuesday and Wednesday.With the vessel’s fate yet to be determined, the general public is asking questions about the safety of such touristic endeavours.The contextThe context in which the Titan has disappeared is disturbing. Reports have come out detailing court documents from a 2018 case that show OceanGate…

16 May 2022

EMBARC: Changing Course - from Coarse to Enlightened

Midshipmen from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, fix the ship's position using a sextant aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65). (Photo: Deven Leigh Ellis / U.S. Navy)

“Until every employee, and every midshipman, and cadet, and every trainee trusts the system and until all allegations are handled properly, abuse will continue to occur, it will continue to go unreported, and people will continue to suffer alone—and that is simply intolerable,” said Lucinda Lessley, Acting Maritime Administrator, presenting at the Connecticut Maritime Association Shipping Expo and Conference, in February.On March 30, the Maritime Administration (MARAD) released…

20 Nov 2020

A Group of Villagers, a Migrant Boat and a Deadly End in Senegal

Credit: Giovanni Cancemi/AdobeStock

Seven neighbors from a village in western Senegal boarded a fishing boat crammed with migrants just after midnight on Oct. 26. Their destination: Europe, 1000 miles away over open ocean.Two of them are now missing, presumed dead, after the boat carrying dozens of people capsized in a collision with the Senegalese coastguard.One can barely walk from his injuries. Another is haunted by the memory of clinging to a piece of flotsam while others around him flailed and sank into the black ocean."You see people die in front of you and you cannot do anything…

04 Jun 2020

Inmarsat Extends Seafarer Support

Š Alex Stemmer / Adobe Stock

Satellite communications provider Inmarsat says it continues to ramp up its response to COVID-19, with additional initiatives to improve seafarer wellbeing. These initiatives include further collaboration with ISWAN (International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network) and maritime charities, the launch of a new chatcard and the wider roll-out of a COVID-19 video telemedicine call service.As the pandemic has unfolded, the ompany has worked closely with welfare organization…

06 Feb 2017

New ‘Intelligent’ Power Converters

Photo: Analytic Systems

To operate marine electronics and communication devices, power converters such as inverters, battery chargers and power supplies are often installed to convert available DC or AC to the appropriate power outputs required. Complicating matters, both the power source (DC in varying voltages from battery banks and AC from generators or shore power) and the outputs (voltage, frequency, etc.) can vary for each piece of equipment. So much so, that finding the ideal converter can be difficult and often requires a customized solution.

13 Apr 2016

RedPort XGate Now Includes PredictWind Weather Service

Newly available version of RedPort XGate satellite email and data services suite now includes PredictWind weather forecasting service, letting users select, download and view marine weather forecasts over satellite and cellular networks. RedPort Global announced the immediate availability of a new version of XGate, now including the PredictWind Offshore weather-forecasting app. XGate is an independent satellite data acceleration service letting people easily and affordably access accelerated email, web, weather data, social media and blogging wherever they go. PredictWind Offshore allows users to download and immediately view GRIB files, weather routes, GMDSS Text forecasts and Satellite Imagery.

06 Apr 2015

Italy Rescues 1,500 Migrants in Just 24 Hours

Italian navy and coast guard ships rescued around 1,500 migrants aboard five boats in the southern Mediterranean in less than 24 hours, officials said on Sunday. All of the migrants were rescued on Saturday by two coast guard ships and one navy ship in five separate operations, the coast guard said in a statement. Three of the migrants' boats were in difficulty and sent rescue requests via satellite phones while they were off the coast of Libya. The Italian vessels spotted the other two while heading for the others. The migrants were all transboarded onto the Italian ships and were being taken to either the island of Lampedusa or ports in Sicily, the statement said.

10 Mar 2015

SpeedCast Partners to Expand Satellite Mobility Portfolio

SpeedCast International Limited has established a distributor agreement with Thuraya Telecommunications Company, a Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) operator. The new agreement brings new options for satellite mobility solutions for SpeedCast’s global customer base and expands SpeedCast’s mobility product portfolio. Under the agreement, SpeedCast will now have access to Thuraya’s portfolio of innovative mobile satellite products and services, including Thuraya SatSleeve, XT satellite phones, land and maritime broadband terminals.

03 Feb 2015

Enhanced VoIP Service for Mini-VSAT Broadband Network

Photo courtesy: KVH I

KVH Industries, Inc., (KVHI) has rolled out a new dedicated voice configuration for its mini-VSAT Broadband(SM) global maritime satellite network. The network's Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service is now delivered on a prioritized and protected data stream, separate from the network's overall broadband data traffic. VoIP service is also prioritized onboard the vessel for quality VoIP service even during times of heaviest broadband data use. By prioritizing phone service…

10 Oct 2014

India Braces as Cyclone Hurtles Towards East Coast

V olunteers, disaster management officials and aid workers conducted mock evacuation drills in hundreds of villages along India's east coast on Friday as a powerful cyclone approached, threatening devastation to farmland and fishing hamlets. Cyclone Hudhud was about 470 km (292 miles) offshore on Friday, satellite images showed, and was expected to hit land around the key port city of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday morning. It will also impact neighbouring Odisha state. The cyclone, forecast to bring gusts of up to 155 kph (96 mph), could disrupt the lives of millions, the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS) run by the United Nations and the European Commission said. "Up to 7.2 million people can be affected by wind speeds of cyclone strength or above.

04 Feb 2014

Iridium Launches Portable Satellite Hotspot

Image courtesy Iridium Communications

Iridium Communications Inc. today announced Iridium GO!, the industry’s first portable satellite hotspot that connects to any smartphone or tablet, dramatically extending voice and data coverage for personal devices when they are out of range of cellular networks. Iridium GO! creates a satellite-backed Wi-Fi zone anywhere on the planet, enabling up to five smartphones to make calls, get their email, text and use some apps, even when terrestrial networks are non-existent, unreliable or costly.

30 Jan 2014

Smartphones Can Morph Into Satellite Phones

Image credit Intel Free Press

Globalstar says its Sat-Fi instantly turns any smartphone, tablet or computer into a satellite phone or data device. With Sat-Fi, Globalstar customers can use their existing smartphones and existing phone numbers to send and receive communications over the Company's satellite network, offering seamless voice and data connectivity when beyond the range of cellular. This new technology means that people who find themselves outside of cell coverage, for whatever reason, can use their existing smartphones or computers to always stay connected.

29 May 2013

Hurry! Test Your Satellite Phone

Iridium's 'Test Your Satellite Phone Week': May 26 - June 1, 2013. Now in its seventh year, the annual Test Your Satellite Phone program was established by Iridium to support first responders, emergency workers, government agencies and anyone else who might be in a life-threatening situation with communications they can count on, whenever they need them. By taking a few quick steps to ensure the operational status of their satellite phone, users are better prepared for a sudden emergency. The ability to communicate is absolutely critical in an emergency and Iridium is pleased to be able to continue to offer satellite phone users the opportunity to test their satellite phone.

25 Jul 2012

OCENS Upgrades its 'WeatherNet' Weather on Demand Service

OCENS announces version 3 of its award-winning WeatherNet Weather-on-Demand service. The manufacturers explain that WeatherNet 3 transforms the product selection process by asking users for their general weather interests and then responding with definitive file suggestions for the given area of operation. No need to get specific, just let WeatherNet know whether you’d like GRIB or classic weather charts, text files or buoy products, fishing data or ice forecasts, satellite pictures or tide information etc. WeatherNet’s intelligent content algorithm then merges users general interests with their present or proposed location, anywhere in the world, and the work by OCENS professionals who have mapped each one of the thousands of products in its library.

02 Jul 2012

GPS Tracking Via Satellite Phone

'Optimizer': Image credit Red Port

RedPort Global, providers of marine satellite data, voice routers and services, launch GPS tracking service with the RedPort Optimizer. When connected to a GPS-enabled satellite phone or terminal, Optimizer works as a GPS Satellite Tracker , and can transmit the device’s GPS location at user-defined intervals, working with select tracking services to let users view GPS locations online or input them directly into their existing tracking systems. “Reliable, affordable GPS vessel tracking is a critical part of any vessel operations – from the smallest boat to the largest ship,” said Dr.

08 May 2012

Telstra commits $1.5M for Iridium Equipment

Beam receives a $5 M commitment from Telstra for Satellite Docking Stations and Iridium Handsets. Beam Communications Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of World Reach Limited (ASX: WRR), announces it has received a commitment from Telstra to purchase a minimum of USD5.1 M of Iridium based satellite docking stations and product bundles over the next 12 months. The initial shipment (valued at USD1.65 M) is expected to be fulfilled by 30 June 2012, the balance being called upon as required over the 12 month period.

27 Apr 2012

Communication via Mobile Devices – Advice for Boaters

Global Marine Networks Inc. How to stay in touch with family, friends and information through radio, satellite voice, email and Internet services while at sea with laptops and smartphones is the subject of the GMN offering. Blue water cruisers, and other boaters have more choices than ever when it comes to staying in touch while at sea, but some choices are better than others, according to a new report from Global Marine Networks (GMN), called Staying In Touch Offshore: Global Marine Networks’ Guide To Blue Water Cruising Communications. “The changes we are seeing in communications technologies everywhere are affecting boaters, and particularly those who spend time cruising in blue waters,” said Dr. Luis Soltero, Chief Technology Officer of Global Marine Networks.

12 May 2010

Transocean On Post-Explosion Treatment of Crew

On May 11, Transocean Ltd issued a statement in response to several reports that detail Transocean's (NYSE: RIG) (SIX: RIGN) treatment of crew members immediately following the April 20, 2010 explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon, including erroneous allegations that crew members were asked to sign waivers. The company would like to clarify the series of events that transpired that evening and the days after the incident. --  U.S. Coast Guard, as on-scene incident command, not Transocean, in control of rescue vessel: All decisions aboard the rescue boat, the Damon Bankston, were made solely by the Coast Guard and all efforts to transport crew members from the rig to shore were coordinated by the Coast Guard according to standard maritime procedures.

04 Nov 2009

Satworx Promotion

Satworx, provider of satellite phone solutions, announced a promotion benefiting those in the maritime industries who spend time on small and large vessels where cell phone service is unavailable. Now through December 31, 2009, any boat owner or captain that signs a premium plan contract with Satworx will receive one of three free Sailor FleetBroadband satellite phones, valued between $5000 and $15,000. Sailor FleetBroadband provides cost-effective data and voice in a single terminal. The terminal also provides real-time weather updates, uninterrupted access to email, the internet, fax and calls, the most up-to-date chart data and efficiency route planning. (www.satworx.com/fleetpromo.php)

04 Dec 2008

Stratos Introduces ChatCard Online 5.0

Stratos Global Corp., a global provider of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions, introduced ChatCard Online 5.0 to improve the order-processing performance of its ChatCard and eChatCard maritime crew calling services. In the coming weeks, Stratos will migrate all ChatCard Online customers to ChatCard Online 5.0. Stratos ChatCard is a way for shipping companies to enable crewmembers to stay in touch with family and friends while at sea - via voice, email, SMS and now prepaid Internet access via the recent introduction of ChatCard Data on emerging Inmarsat technologies. A prepaid calling card that can be reloaded online, ChatCard can be used on all Inmarsat and Iridium terminals, including FleetBroadband.

25 Mar 2004

Iridium Debuts Global Sat Fax, Enhanced Messaging

Iridium Satellite LLC announced the launch of a new satellite fax service that will permit subscribers to send and receive faxes from any location in the world directly to and from any standard fax machine, as well as connect WiFi networks to Iridium. The Iridium fax service supports inbound and outbound faxes through the uniHub™ interface, which has been developed by On-Go, Inc. of Bethesda, Maryland, USA. UniHub is a plug-and-play solution that extends the functionality of Iridium satellite phones, to include fax and other data services such as WiFi integration. For inbound and outbound faxes, the Iridium phone is connected via uniHub to any standard fax machine or fax modem. Call setup and routing are totally automatic and transparent to the user.

08 Jun 2006

Iridium Names Three VADs

Iridium Satellite announced an expansion of its global network of value-added developers (VADs) program with the appointment of three new companies in key market sectors. The three companies are AirSatCom of Toulouse, France; MailASail of London; and Remote Equipment Monitoring and Assessment Services (REMAS) of Englewood, Colo. “By partnering with these global communications companies, Iridium is able to continue bringing innovative, new solutions based on emerging technologies to a broad base of customers all over the world,” said Greg Ewert, executive vice president of Iridium Satellite. AirSatCom provides customized satellite communications solutions and accessories for a variety of communication and fleet tracking applications for both the civilian and military sectors.

26 Jan 2005

WCC Sat Phones Aid Tsunami Relief Efforts

World Communication Center (WCC), a leading provider of global satellite voice and data communications, has provided nine satellite phones to assist Mercy Corps in its multi-country tsunami aid programs. WCC’s Iridium-based satellite communications solutions enable the field-based relief workers to communicate in areas left without cellular or land-line communications. “Mercy Corps has relied on WCC to provide satellite communications for relief and development efforts since 2002,” says Peter Dickinson, Director, Information Technology. “WCC is proud to support Mercy Corps in their distribution of life-saving aid to the tsunami survivors in possibly one of the largest relief efforts ever mobilized,” states Weldon Knape, CEO of WCC.