The new coverage area will provide the first significant support for mini-VSAT Broadband service in the southern hemisphere. This is the latest milestone in the KVH and ViaSat Inc. (Nasdaq: VSAT) joint effort to provide affordable mobile broadband connections around the globe. In addition to providing service for the KVH TracPhone® V7, the KVH and ViaSat joint effort also expands network coverage to the ViaSat Yonder mobile network for in-flight broadband to business and commercial aircraft. The mini-VSAT Broadband service, along with the KVH TracPhone V7 antenna, comprise the first end-to-end 24-inch VSAT hardware, service, and support package available for maritime communications. Together, KVH and ViaSat are already offering Voice over IP phone service and Internet access as fast as 512 Kbps (upload) and 2 Mbps (download) at fixed monthly rates to mariners throughout North America, the Caribbean, the North Atlantic, Europe, the Northern Pacific, and the Persian Gulf.
“Together with our recently announced coverage for Asian waters and the Indian Ocean, the anticipated addition of service for Australia and New Zealand represents a significant expansion of our increasingly popular mini-VSAT Broadband Internet and voice service to a major commercial and recreational maritime region,” explained Brent C. Bruun, KVH’s vice president of sales and business development. “We believe that our seamless mini-VSAT Broadband network, together with our compact 24-inch (60 cm) commercial-grade antenna and fixed-rate monthly airtime pricing, offers unique benefits to commercial and leisure mariners with regard to hardware and service costs as well as the value that comes with an affordable broadband data connection for crew morale, shipboard operation, regulatory compliance, and more.”
