Satcom Global and Intelsat (PDF) recently announced a new global agreement, driving expansion and further enhancing the global Ku-band network behind the flexible and scalable AuraNow VSAT solution.
Vessels with AuraNow on board will now benefit from the combination of Satcom Global’s bandwidth and contract flexibility, with Intelsat’s global fleet of multi-layered, high-throughput satellites (HTS) forming the world’s largest and most advanced satellite fleet and connectivity infrastructure. The new partnership significantly expands the AuraNow global footprint and greatly increases access to HTS assets. With the latest enhancements, AuraNow is delivering coverage to new regions that include the far south Indian Ocean, to the west of Panama and southeast Pacific. Furthermore, this partnership doubles satellite assets and look angle options across east Asia, and the north and mid-Atlantic.
Satcom Global originally launched Aura VSAT in 2016 delivering a global, high-speed VSAT service, and the global maritime satellite communications provider has consistently sought to enhance and extend the coverage footprint, integrating new assets to ensure maritime customers get the optimum service anywhere in the world. In 2020, AuraNow was launched changing the landscape of the maritime VSAT market by giving customers the power to upgrade, downgrade and suspend their Ku-band airtime without penalty, at the touch of a button on an easy-to-use portal.
Satcom Global developed and continues to upgrade AuraNow driven by the demands and pressures of the maritime industry. The company offers contract flexibility that reflects the realities of the maritime industry, where vessels are traded, bought and sold often at short notice. In addition, AuraNow offers improved crew communication solutions, supporting messaging applications and social media, even in back-up mode, and delivers unlimited bandwidth to support the increasing number of systems on vessels requiring connectivity from engines and monitoring systems, to CCTV. Furthermore, the ability to increase bandwidth instantly and for short time periods, meets the growing demand for using vessel connectivity for crew training, remote audits and vessel inspections.
The new partnership sees Satcom Global integrate the benefits of Intelsat FlexMaritime service into its offering, to deliver always-on enterprise-grade connectivity to vessels around the globe. Designed for mobility with a firm focus on the maritime sector, FlexMaritime delivers a reliable, secure, high-speed global Ku-band service designed for ships of all sizes even when their travel routes or bandwidth demands shift unexpectedly. Intelsat’s modern fleet of geostationary satellites seamlessly integrates layers of Ku-band HTS spot beams to deliver bandwidth density to high-traffic maritime routes, with wide beam satellite capacity for added resiliency and redundancy.
AuraNow is a communications management platform for vessels, putting the customer in control 24/7/365. Through the AuraNow portal, users can manage their vessel’s VSAT bandwidth as needs and requirements change; upgrade, downgrade, even suspend their Ku-band airtime without penalty all on demand, at the touch of a button. AuraNow offers just a 24 hour airtime contractual commitment and billing increment, meaning that shipping companies only pay for the bandwidth they require. In a world with an ever-growing demand for data, there’s no limit on data consumption with AuraNow – all airtime plans are uncapped and unlimited.
Alex Stewart, COO of Satcom Global, said, “Intelsat have shown real drive and energy in building a great network to support AuraNow. It’s the best and most expansive maritime Ku-band VSAT network available on the market today. Operational, regulatory, guest and crew requirements are putting more and more pressure on ship operators to provide reliable and unlimited connectivity throughout a vessel’s entire journey, so having access to high-speed global connectivity at sea today is essential. With Intelsat’s global network, our customers will have consistent access to our groundbreaking flexible connectivity wherever and whenever they need it.”
“Intelsat welcomes Satcom Global as a valued FlexMaritime solution partner,” said Intelsat Vice President and General Manager Mobility Bilal Hamoui. “We look forward to working with Satcom Global to bring ‘always-on’ connectivity to more ship owners and operators around the world, helping them customize a package based on their specific connectivity requirements.”
