Cobham, SpeedCast Partner to Grow Maritime Broadband

Cobham SATCOM and SpeedCast International Limited have concluded a global framework agreement covering the provision of maritime stabilized antennas, which offers high speed connectivity at sea. The commercial framework was awarded following a multi-vendor selection process by SpeedCast, based on a technical, commercial and supply chain evaluation criteria and will run three years. It is expected to generate a double-digit million-dollar figure in revenue for Cobham.

SpeedCast offers high-quality managed network services in over 90 countries and a global maritime VSAT network serving customers worldwide. The company has demonstrated dramatic growth over the past several years through both organic growth and acquisitions, including the recently announced acquisition of Harris CapRock that provides SpeedCast with a global leadership position in maritime and offshore VSAT services.

The new agreement confers SpeedCast with Distribution Partner status and is the basis of a strategic partnership that enables Cobham to extend the reach of Cobham SATCOM’s SAILOR and Sea Tel Brand VSAT and TVRO antennas across SpeedCast’s extensive global sales and support network. Customers will benefit from the superb service, reliability, and performance of both SpeedCast and Cobham.

Cobham’s portfolio of stabilized antenna systems for Inmarsat’s new Fleet Xpress service will become a key part of SpeedCast’s service portfolio through the agreement. Alongside the state-of-the-art, award winning SAILOR 60 GX 60cm antenna and the SAILOR 100 GX 1 meter antenna for Fleet Xpress, SpeedCast will also deliver improved performance on Ku-band networks for end-users with the all new SAILOR 900 VSAT high power system.

Cobham SATCOM’s SAILOR VSAT technology forms the basis for the world’s most intelligent maritime antenna systems. As a software controlled antenna platform, SpeedCast and its end-users stand to benefit from reduced installation time and costs. Several unique features support this including Automatic Azimuth Calibration, Automatic Cable Calibration, Dynamic Motor Brakes and the need for just a single cable from below deck to antenna.