SpeedCast and Eutelsat have also introduced a regional service using a 60 cm Ku-band marine antenna for smaller coastal and regional vessels. In addition, customers can now choose from an extensive lineup of lower cost service plans to meet an increasingly diverse range of applications and budgetary needs. The global maritime broadband service, delivered by SpeedCast and Eutelsat, is one of the most widely deployed VSAT offerings in the world. It is relied on by a diverse group of maritime customers, including commercial shipping, tankers, oil and gas offshore platforms, offshore supply vessels, research and survey vessels, navies, cruise liners, yachts, and fishing vessels, for their communication and data needs.
With the smaller form-factor 60 cm marine antenna, the maritime service can now address small-to-mid-size vessels that operate along coastlines and in regional waters, such as yachts, fishing boats, smaller coastal vessels and river vessels. Today, 60 cm Ku-band antenna systems have lower purchase and installation costs compared to larger 1 m Ku-band and 2.4 m C-band systems. SpeedCast has expanded the service coverage by recently launching a 60 cm regional service in the Caribbean, and Eutelsat is set to introduce an additional 60 cm service in the Mediterranean.
SpeedCast and Eutelsat have also expanded their service plan options, introducing lower airtime rates and customized service plans. Customers can tailor a service plan to better match their bandwidth requirements for specific applications and budgets. These plans can be as low as 64 kbps to over 2 Mbps, and are offered as either a shared or dedicated service. The shared service includes dedicated bandwidth options which guarantee a customer’s throughput for enterprise-grade applications, enabling vessels to share bandwidth reliably across a wide range of applications from email and Internet access to real-time ship management software.
The global network is built on the iDirect platform and leverages advanced technologies such as Automatic Beam Switching (ABS) for seamless connectivity across multiple satellite footprints, DVB-S2 encoding for bandwidth optimization, and Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM) for optimized power utilization and reliable performance in all weather conditions. These advanced technologies are strengthened by several key capabilities and network management features developed by SpeedCast and Eutelsat:
- Seamless global coverage
- Wide range of antenna sizes and manufacturers
- Advanced monitoring and asset tracking solution
- Broad range of services for critical communication needs
- Network installation and management
