The solution, initially selected by Pacific Basin in the second quarter of 2016, includes: KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadbandsm service; TracPhone® V7-IP Ku-band antenna system designed and built by KVH, combined with an Iridium OpenPort® for backup; customized Coxcomb management solution; and IP-MobileCastTM content delivery service. All the hardware is protected by the KVH OneCareTM extended warranty. The solution also comes with the myKVHTM portal, which provides vessel location, connection details, management, and control of the data usage onboard.
Pacific Basin chose KVH’s IP-MobileCast content delivery service to provide crewmembers with NEWSlinkTM TV content – international news channels plus TV channels in crew members’ native languages. This helps to boost morale onboard, as crews feel closer to home when they can watch the same programs as their families on shore. The package also includes daily NEWSlink newspapers with news and sports from the crews’ native countries, including the capability to read the newspapers from their own mobile devices. The fully integrated solution, including antenna hardware, control units, and all connecting cables, is shipped with a compact footprint, which is important for a global fleet striving for timely installations.
The General Manager of Pacific Basin, Captain Uttam K. Jaiswal, stated that SATCOM continues to become more cost-effective over time as requirements rapidly grow for bandwidth and speed. In addition to the obvious business requirements, Pacific Basin sees value in enabling the firm's seafarers to keep in contact with family and friends through the Internet. The new equipment will also enhance shore-to-ship crew training and support for safe ship operations.