Voice And Data News

In the early morning hours of September 26, 2022, seismologists located throughout northern Europe detected two disturbances originating in the Baltic Sea that were consistent with underwater explosions. Within hours, an aerial image captured by a passing Danish F-16 showed an expanse of frothy seawater, suggesting that the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines had experienced a catastrophic event. Within days, an investigation by the Swedish Security Service concluded that both pipelines had sustained extensive damage due to an act of gross sabotage.

Thuraya Telecommunications Company, the mobile satellite services subsidiary of the UAE’s flagship satellite solutions provider, Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PJSC, announced it has launched its new IP-based radio communications solution, Thuraya Push-to-Talk (PTT).Thuraya PTT has been developed with Cobham SATCOM, a provider of satellite communications solutions to the maritime and land markets. The solution will enable users to extend the range of their voice communications…

Intellian received type approval from Inmarsat for its new FB250 and Fleet One L-band terminals, making it one of the first to market with user terminals for operation on Inmarsat’s catalyst L-band network, ELERA. The FB250 is a multi-functional terminal, either acting as a stand-alone primary communications terminal or combining with Intellian’s market-leading GX60NX and GX100NX to create the perfect Fleet Xpress (FX) solution. The Fleet One terminal is designed to provide an easy-to-install…

Iridium Communications announced the first seven companies it has authorized to provide its Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) services, planned for commercial introduction in the first half of 2020. The seven companies, Arion Communications, AST, Marlink, Marsat, NSSLGlobal, Satcom Global and Speedcast will be the first in the industry to provide truly global satellite GMDSS service to mariners, and the first to offer a new choice in satellite network and equipment.

Real-time fisheries management and governance to ensure robust quota compliance and safeguard sustainable fishing.Inmarsat, along with its partners Addvalue Innovation Pte Ltd (Addvalue) and Network Innovations, have launched a type-approved IP-based terminal and Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) for fishing vessels operating in United States (U.S.) waters. The Addvalue iFleetONE communications terminal and proprietary VMS have been type-approved in four of the five U.S. Fisheries Management regions, as required by the U.S.

British multinational defence technology company Qinetiq collaborates with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to investigate how drone technology can strengthen their Search and Rescue (SAR) missions.Small unmanned air systems are delivering disruptive change across the industry. Ten years ago what was predominantly a niche hobby, or military technology, has now found wide commercial success. Anyone can easily have an eye in the sky and recent publicity is changing the way organisations view their problems.The Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) oversees search and rescue operations in the UK. Their volunteer Coastguard Rescue Teams respond to time-critical calls and work tirelessly to save lives.Funded by QinetiQ’s Internal Research and Development…

The satellite communications provider Marlink is introducing an all-encompassing new hybrid communication service, called Sealink Global 4GThe Sealink Global 4G, as a turnkey solution it provides everything needed to leverage fast, low-latency mobile services when in network range while complementing VSAT connectivity when in regulated regions.Devised as a single global capability with full predictability on performance and costs, Sealink Global 4G is a ready-to-go solution bringing a new dimension of low-latency and flexible connectivity to Marlink’s global multi-band maritime network.The subscription is part of Marlink’s suite of 4G…

IEC Telecom will launch its Orion Edge+ satellite voice and data communication solution during this week’s Sea Asia (April 9 to 11).Orion Edge+ provides high quality, reliable broadband with the ultimate cost effective operational benefits. It also provides flexible data plans with no long-term commitment. This flexibility makes Orion Edge+ ideal for busy offshore support vessels, tugs, and oil and gas contractors.Powered by Thuraya’s Orion IP broadband and Thuraya’s Seastar circuit switched voice terminal…

Marlink entered an agreement with Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T.) to supply its satellite voice and data connectivity services for use on five adventure cruise ships in the O.A.T. fleet.Marlink will provide the O.A.T. Small Ships with a suite of solutions; equipment, bandwidth and operations to reliably meet and exceed guest voice and data requirements; uninterrupted voice and corporate connectivity to facilitate ship management tasks; and flexible connectivity services to…

European spaceflight services company Telespazio and the shipping company Grimaldi Group have recently signed two contracts to strengthen the satellite communications capabilities of the Neapolitan shipping group on its fleet of cargo and passenger ships.Telespazio, a joint venture between Leonardo and Thales, said in a press release that the first agreement provides for managing on-board communications for RO/RO, RO/RO multi-purpose and PCTC (Pure Car & Truck Carrier) vessels in the Grimaldi Fleet that operate between Northern Europe, North and South America, West Africa, and the Mediterranean.Specifically, Telespazio will take care of the design and supply of on-board systems for satellite communications and related broadband services, including backup, on a multi-regional scale.

Iridium launched its Iridium Certus broadband service for commercial customers, the first new capability activated from the company’s $3 billion Iridium Next satellite replacement program.Iridium Certus is a platform designed for the development of specialty global broadband service applications, offering on-the-move internet and voice access, the mobile voice and data satellite communications network that spans the entire globe said.The service enables mobile office functionality for deployed teams and two-way remote communication for assets, autonomous vehicles, trains, aircraft and ships at sea. This also includes safety-of-life services…

The Satellite Industry Association (SIA) announced that Globalstar is the latest company to join SIA. Globalstar operates a low-earth-orbit (LEO) constellation of satellites and provides mobile satellite voice and data products and service packages to government, industry and consumer customers around the world. The Company’s products include mobile and fixed satellite telephones, the Sat-Fi satellite hotspot, Simplex and Duplex satellite data modems, tracking devices plus its subsidiary SPOT LLC family of consumer satellite products. In September, Globalstar announced the appointments of Dave Kagan to the position of CEO and Jay Monroe to Executive Chairman of the Company’s Board of Directors and earlier this year the Company introduced two new products…

Resilience planning, Info Sharing Take Spotlight“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” That old chestnut gets turned on its head when it comes to port cyber security. It’s more like “Oh what a tangled web we’ve woven, so much harder to stop data stolen.”Ports today have the physical aspect of security pretty well nailed shut - gates, locks, fencing, alarms, cameras, drones, etc. As Chris Mason, Rajant Corp.’s director of sales for EMEA, notes, “Every…

As the global maritime industry increases the level of automation and ship-to-shore connection, the move toward autonomy is gaining steam in certain sectors. While it is generally agreed among industry insiders that full autonomous operations on ships traversing the world's oceans is a generation or more away, there are some significant strides being made on shorter, point-to-point inland and coastal routes, as well as evolving the technology in a manner that automates onboard systems to help reduce crewing and workloads.

ATLAS ELEKTRONIK subsidiary Hagenuk Marinekommunikation (HMK) has been commissioned by the “ARGE K130 2nd Batch” consortium to supply integrated communication systems for units 6 to 10 of the Type K130 corvettes for the German Navy.The scope of supply includes radios of the complete telecommunications spectrum from 10 kHz to 20 GHz, which enable information to be exchanged with other ships, boats or shore stations via special input devices in the form of voice and data radio. These intelligent communication systems offer users the greatest possible support in their tasks and thus make a significant contribution to the reliable operation of ships and their crews.

Growing options emerge for ever-increasing data and Comms demand. In the United States alone, 625 million tons of cargo is transported along the more than 12,000 miles of commercially navigable waterways each year, moving vital commodities to and from 38 of the nation’s 50 states. The advent of subchapter M has raised the bar significantly for as many as 5,000 inland vessels, both in terms of safety and the need to document and more closely control this tonnage. At the same time, domestic coastal transport and offshore energy support vessels also face growing communications requirements.

Marlink said it has migrated Aker BioMarine’s Antarctic krill harvester fleet support ship, La Manche, to Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress service. The system provides a boost to crew communication facilities on board as well as enables vessels to benefit from improved business intelligence and remote access to the vessel’s IT network. The service uses the XChange Universal Remote Access (URA) solution, one of Marlink’s many Value Added Services available on Fleet Xpress. “Fleet Xpress has transformed our communication capabilities aboard La Manche.

Bergen headquartered Grieg Star has chosen Marlink’s Sealink VSAT Premium for its entire General Cargo Open Hatch fleet of 33 vessels. Operating on multiple routes worldwide, Grieg Star’s ships will benefit from seamless, high bandwidth global VSAT services with unlimited L-band back up included in the fixed monthly fee, ensuring continuous availability of vessel and fleet efficiency enhancing applications. Grieg Star’s decision to enable its digital operations with Sealink VSAT Premium…

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) is responsible for security and facilitation operations at 328 ports of entry throughout the United States. Missions include the pursuit, boarding and searching of suspect vessels, seizing vessels and contraband, and arresting violators. It is a difficult and dangerous job. To that end, CBP recently selected SAFE Boats International to design and build a 41-foot Coastal Interceptor Vessel (CIV) that is up to the task. “The patrol boat market is really a specialty market,” said Janice Willis, Vice President Program Management at SAFE Boats. Among its many innovative features…

Satcom Global, a maritime satellite communications provider, and Intellian, a satellite antenna developer and manufacturer, have signed a strategic partnership agreement covering the global supply and distribution of maritime satellite equipment. Under the partnership, Satcom Global will have access to Intellian’s full range of Ku-Band, Ka-Band and FleetBroadband hardware, supporting the delivery of its portfolio of VSAT and L-Band services to maritime customers across the globe. Ian Robinson, CEO at Satcom Global said, “Intellian is exactly the kind of committed partner we want on our team to help penetrate deeper into the maritime market with a truly world class managed connectivity solution.

EMC has taken orders to supply VSAT equipment and services for seven platform supply vessels in the North Sea as part of a four-year fleet agreement with GulfMark (Norway). The scope of supply for each vessel includes a 60-inch Ku-band stabilized antenna and below-deck terminal interfaced with the ship’s network and third-party GSM voice system. EMC will also provide the satellite airtime for crew welfare and mission-critical voice and data communications. The installations will take place over the next 12 months as the vessels become available. “GulfMark’s vessels operate in an extremely demanding market segment with rigorous requirements for uptime, connectivity, bandwidth, data throughput and content,” said Gilles Gillesen, president of EMC’s commercial marine business unit.

EMC today announced a new global Ku-band VSAT package of connectivity and content for ships at sea, optimized for the next-generation high-throughput satellite (HTS) networks that are now being deployed. “Designed with crew welfare as a top priority, the new EMC VSAT platform offers a combination of services and capabilities never before available from a single marine VSAT supplier,” said Gilles Gillesen, president of EMC’s commercial shipping business unit. EMC’s patented SpeedNet technology solves the age-old problem of latency in web access at sea. Using a proprietary intelligent protocol and global backbone, SpeedNet predictively fetches, compresses and pushes multiple layers of websites at once to local servers.

Inmarsat has launched Fleet One Global, a service designed to offer basic voice and data connectivity to the maritime market. Fleet One Global is part of the Fleet One range of satcoms services developed for flexibility, reliability and simplicity, aimed at customers with low data needs looking for basic functionality, greater cost and usage control, with the reassurance of a trusted global commercial satellite network. The plug-and-play service delivers 100kbps voice and data at one global rate, eliminating the need for ship owners to use a patchwork of different providers. Fleet One Global achieves 99.9 percent uptime worldwide, ensuring that ships are never out of range for voice calls…