Telephony News

Canada-headquartered Nautel announced Wednesday that it has acquired France-based technology company Kenta, expanding Nautel’s offerings to customers in the maritime sector.Kenta was established in 1990 and has gained extensive experience in the development of Radio Frequency Communication Systems, mainly in the area of Global Maritime Distress and Safety Systems (GMDSS) for telephony or voice transmission. The company offers complete turnkey transmitter and receiver solutions for MF…

Ben van Scherpenzeel is Chairman of the international Port Call Optimisation Task Force said that it’s rather curious that the shipping sector, whose history goes back some 5,000 years, only recently adopted international standards for nautical port information. Numerous younger industries, including aviation and telephony, set up international standards a long time ago. The task force works to improve the quality of information in the port call process by identifying data bottlenecks, embracing existing industry standards for these data and subsequently testing these standards with the aid of prototypes (i.e. not with commercial products). "But then shipping does involve a huge number of parties across the planet.

Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS, Vlissingen) has awarded Radio Holland a contract to supply the IT systems on board the state-of-the-art Antarctic Supply Research Vessel (ASRV) newbuild for the Australian Antarctic Division. The 160m ASRV is a survey vessel which combines icebreaking, survey and supply activities. The vessel will be able to break ice up to 1.65 meters at a speed of 3 knots and will supply Australia’s permanent research stations in Antarctica and Macquarie Island with cargo, equipment and personnel.

Semco Maritime, a global provider of communications solutions, telecoms systems integration services and collaborative applications to the offshore oil and gas industry, has won a multi-million dollar contract to deliver communications systems and infrastructure for the production platforms at the new Maersk Oil operated Culzean field in the UK sector of the North Sea. The award of this contract by Singapore based yard Sembcorp Marine Offshore Platform Pte. Lts. continues Semco…

Foss Maritime Company recently announced it will open a consolidated customer service center in Oregon in April 2016. The company's existing Portland office will be renovated and modernized to incorporate the best available customer service technologies, including a state-of-the-art telephony system, heightened cyber security, and enhanced dispatching and vessel tracking capabilities. "Consolidating customer service in our Columbia Snake River location will allow us to enhance both our service and our responsiveness," said Chris Wolf, Director of Customer Service at Foss. Today, Foss serves regional, national and international customers in ports along the Pacific seaboard, Hawaii and Alaska, as well as across the globe, with a service center in Washington and Oregon, and two in California.

Trelleborg’s marine systems operation has passed a milestone with the shipment of its 600th SeaTechnik Ship Shore Link (SSL) system for the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Industry. The SeaTechnik SMART SSL system will be installed on a 174,000m3 LNG Carrier (Hull number 2411), being built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) at its Okpo ship yard, Goeje Island, South Korea, for Teekay shipping Limited. The majority of the world’s LNG cargo fleet and terminals are equipped with SSL technology…

Satellite communications provider NSSLGlobal announced the trial of its Wi-Fi service across selected British Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships. The service, based on NSSLGlobal’s proven technology for the commercial shipping sector, but modified for the Royal Navy will, for the first time allow crew to use their personal devices to connect with friends and family through internet services and applications. The Wi-Fi service is an all-in-one access control facility deployed as a gateway for managing Wi-Fi hotspots to enable BYOD (Bring your own Device) to be rolled out to Naval vessels. It will provide the user with a secure, available, supported and legally and morally compliant internet service providing access over existing ship bearers (whether satellite, ADSL or 3G/4G).

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…

L-3 SAM Electronics has been awarded a contract to provide the complete electrical package, including cable engineering and installation, energy distribution, propulsion, lighting and infotainment systems, as well as internal and external communications systems, for two offshore supply vessels for the Norwegian shipowner, Siem Offshore. Built by Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG), located in northern Germany, the 155-meter-long and 31-meter-wide ships are due to be delivered in February and July 2016.

Indian energy company Reliance Industries Ltd posted nearly flat fourth-quarter profits, in line with estimates, as a slimmer margin in its oilrefining business offset higher revenue. Reliance, which operates the world's biggest refining complex in western India, reported net profit of 56.31 billion rupees for the quarter to end-March, compared with analysts' expectations of 56.62 billion rupees. Its average gross refining margin dropped to $9.30 per barrel from $10.10 a year earlier, although it was up from the preceding quarter's $7.60. Net sales rose 13 percent. Investors have focussed, however, on the oil and gas production business at Reliance, India's second most valuable company which is controlled by its richest man, Mukesh Ambani.

Astrium Services took a survey of seafarer’s usage of crew communication solutions in the commercial shipping sector to establish a picture of mariner communications requirements. According to Tore Morten Olsen, Head of Maritime Services, Astrium Services, the survey was illuminating in more ways than one, helping to shed light on modern comms usage for onboard business and personal reasons. MLC 2006 is here. What is your sense that ship operators and owners will incorporate an increased availability of communications solutions for seafarers? The MLC asks for “reasonable access to ship-to-shore telephone communications, and email and Internet facilities, where available.” The wording is quite soft. Plus it is located in the non-mandatory guidelines. So there’s some room for interpretation.

Spirent Communications, has teamed up with Qascom to develop a test tool that reproduces spoofing attacks in a controlled laboratory environment. They say that their collaborative solution will be launched commercially later in 2013. The test bed will concurrently simulate legitimate GNSS constellations and spoofed or hoax signals. It will enable positioning systems manufacturers to improve their products’ resilience to hoax signals. As GNSS becomes increasingly embedded in modern infrastructure for application timing and device positioning, the impact of spoofing attacks becomes greater. From mobile telephony to internet banking, GNSS timing signals are used in many key systems…

Simon Møkster Shipping’s fleet of 23 offshore supply and specialist vessels is now fully connected to the Microsoft Lync platform through Sealink, Marlink’s customized VSAT service. Sealink has enabled the established Norwegian offshore vessel operator to roll-out Microsoft’s standardized business collaboration and communication platform across its organization on land and at sea, resulting in operational benefits in addition to substantial savings in the cost of crew calling.

MARIS and Orange Business Servicesa sign agreement to facilitate integrated and digital maritime navigation services. Maritime technology specialist MARIS and Orange Business Services have formalized an agreement to deliver Electronic Chart Display Information Systems (ECDIS) and maritime digital services directly to navigators via the world’s largest, fully-managed Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) network. Through the solution Current At Sea, the MARIS/Orange Business Services partnership unlocks the full potential of integrated, paperless maritime navigation and vessel operations management by basing it on the most up-to-date digital chart information available.

UK based Buzz Marine, the suppliers of HubbaX mobile broadband for maritime applications, has developed a new system for its mini dome to allow automatic switch from a vessel’s VSAT communications system to its land-based mobile system on which the HubbaX operates. The changeover is delivered through an intelligent ‘switchbox’ which prefers the 3G signal, when no 3G signal is available VSAT connection continues. With the signal strength benefits of the HubbaX (up to four times more powerful and more stable than a mobile phone) connection can be achieved up to 20 miles offshore…

Iceland's On-Waves selects Delaware's IMSWorkX feature rich service delivery platform for its cruise & merchant ship mobile telephone service. Maritime mobile operator On-Waves Ehf, a subsidiary of Icelandic global telecom service provider Siminn (formerly Iceland Telecom), has selected the XpressWorkX Service Delivery Platform from IMSWorkX, Inc. as a base from which to enhance its range of rich IP-based mobile telephony services on cruise ships and merchant marine vessels. The On-Waves customer base of vessels is diverse, multi-national and multi-lingual. "XpressWorkX is an ideal platform for carrier companies like On-Waves because it offers rapid customization and adaptation of existing applications as well as creation of new ones.

Abu Dhabi – Thuraya has launched a dual mode hand-held phone featuring both GSM and satellite capabilities. The introduction of this phone, branded XT-DUAL, makes Thuraya the only satellite operator to offer seamless communications, as the phone provides consumers the flexibility and freedom to switch between GSM and satellite modes wherever they may be located. The XT-DUAL operates as a standard GSM phone within the reach of terrestrial networks; and, when out of terrestrial network reach, operates as a satellite phone supported by Thuraya’s powerful network.

Arendal, Norway - Maritime Communications Partner (MCP) has strengthened its foothold in the U.S. cruise market through a major telecommunications contract with Norwegian Cruise Line. The contract includes the entire fleet and two large new builds. MCP’s contract with Norwegian Cruise Line covers cellular telephony and pre-paid services to passengers and crew in the existing fleet and the two yet-to-be launched cruise ships. All the ships will be equipped with a state-of-the-art network, enabling future migration to 3G and LTE technologies. “The mobile communication needs of our guests are changing rapidly,” said Ross Henderson, Norwegian’s Vice President of Onboard Services.

Maritime Communications Partner (MCP), the leading onboard communications partner to cruise and ferry vessels, has strengthened its foothold in the US cruise market through a major telecommunications contract with Norwegian Cruise Line. The contract includes the entire fleet and two large newbuilds. MCP’s contract with Norwegian Cruise Line covers cellular telephony and prepaid services to passengers and crew in the existing fleet and the two yet-to-be launched cruise ships.  All the ships will be equipped with a state-of-the-art network enabling future migration to 3G and LTE technologies.

Consilium and Orange launch Current At Sea, a paperless maritime navigation and communication solution. Consilium and Orange Business Services are modernizing maritime communications with the launch of a paperless navigation solution that extends an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) over the world’s largest MPLS-based network. This bundled, flat-rate solution named Current At Sea enables shipping companies to move to a fully electronic platform for navigation and communications. Current At Sea is a future-proof, modular ECDIS and communication system that can include voyage optimization programs, fleet and ship management systems, and real-time monitoring applications.

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.

Maritime Communications Partner (MCP) has strengthened its foothold in the Mediterranean through a major turnkey telecommunications contract with Corsica & Sardinia Ferries, one of Italy’s most prestigious ferry operators. The five-year contract covers Mobile Telephony, Mobile Internet, WiFi and VSAT for eight passenger ferries and plays a key role in supporting Corsica’s ongoing aims to provide crew and passengers with competitive wireless communications backed by a highly reliable quality cellular network.Corsica & Sardinia Ferries are one of the biggest operators on the Western Mediterranean Sea transporting about 3.5 million passengers annually aboard their ferries running to and from France and Italy to Corsica and Sardinia.

Netanya, Israel, March 14, 2011 – ORBIT Communication Systems, Ltd., a Satellite Communications, Tracking & Telemetry, and Communications Management Systems provider, today announced that it has appointed new regional sales directors in Europe and Latin America for its Satellite Communications (SatCom) Business Unit. Mr. Michel Rieken has joined ORBIT Communication Systems Europe as Director of Sales and Business Development. Having worked over 20 years in the telecommunications industry, including 12 years in satellite communications, Mr.