Broadband aboard
Accessing weather information and chart updates, keeping in contact with loved ones or simply checking the news are now as simple to do at sea as they are on land with the launch of Fleet One from the UKs Inmarsat Maritime.
Yacht and fishing boat owners can now take full advantage of maritime broadband services previously only available to much larger vessels.
Whether on a sailing holiday or an extended fishing expedition, the new Fleet One service ensures small vessel owners have uninterrupted access to the internet, while being able to send SMS messages and have telephone conversations from on board their boat, anywhere in the world.
Inmarsat’s Fleet One service makes use of the world’s most advanced and reliable global broadband satellite network; the same network which is used by the professional maritime industry across every ocean.
Inmarsat Maritime President, Frank Coles said; “We have all become accustomed to having access to information as and when we need it. When we can’t, it’s frustrating! Being at sea is a unique experience and conditions can change at the drop of a hat. This shouldn’t hamper your ability to remain connected to the world. There is large market of unconnected vessels out there today, for many of these, Fleet One will bring satellite services within reach for the first time and that is a great opportunity for the maritime community and for Inmarsat’s business. Our innovation strategy is keeping us at the forefront of the maritime communications market.”
Fleet One is delivered through a small terminal, especially created for leisure and fishing vessels. It can be quickly and easily installed, providing a cost-effective solution enabling small vessels to remain connected at all times.
The compact 2.5kg terminals will offer data connectivity up to 100kbps, a single voice line and SMS.
We’ve also recently heard that EMAS, a leading global contracting group providing offshore/subsea construction, marine, production and well intervention services, has equipped 35 vessels with Inmarsat’s XpressLink service. The company took the decision to migrate its vessels from Inmarsat FleetBroadband to XpressLink to more efficiently deliver enhanced services to its customers.
XpressLink is the world’s leading, fully-integrated Ku-band and L-band solution with VSAT and FleetBroadband terminals. It is proving highly popular with ship owners across the world with its offer of unlimited data for a fixed monthly fee, while also delivering a fully-redundant and resilient service.
By Jake Frith
