KVH doubles capacity of maritime mini-VSAT satellite broadband network

KVH Industries, Inc. announced that it has increased the capacity of its global mini-VSAT Broadband(SM) network in Brazil and Africa by more than twice the original capacity.

The Company is currently upgrading and expanding of its global mini-VSAT broadband network using Variable Coding, Spreading, and Modulation (VCSM) technology from its partner company ViaSat, Inc. This is KVH's third major capacity increase in the last four months. It has already finished upgrading its networks in the Caribbean and EMEA regions last year.

The 2007 launch of its mini-VSAT Broadband network allowed KVH to secure the lead in the maritime VSAT service market. Its unique service leverages spread spectrum technology to deliver fast and high-quality service through antenna that are 85% smaller than rival products. The compact antenna design and fully integrated belowdecks equipment usually prove to be cheaper, faster, and easier to install, allow companies to save significant sums when deploying satellite broadband technology aboard their fleets.

In addition, KVH is the sole maritime satellite service company that offers a total end-to-end solution. It designs and builds its own onboard terminals, owns the Earth station equipment, leases satellite capacity, manages the VSAT network, and provides after-sale support on a 24/7 basis all around the world.

KVH leases capacity from commercial FSS maritime satellites operated by Eutelsat, Intelsat, SES, and SkyPerfect JSAT. The Company's mini-VSAT Broadband network leases 17 transponders for world coverage. The resulting unique hybrid network combines C-band and Ku-band coverage, allowing KVH products ranging from the 60cm TracPhone V7-IP antennas and 37cm TracPhone V3 antennas to the 1 meter, dual-mode TracPhone V11 maritime VSAT solution to seamlessly switch between the frequencies. The Company plans to lease additional capacity in the areas with expanding customer bases.

OmniAccess secures additional satellite broadband capacity from Telesat

OmniAccess has signed a satellite capacity contract with international FSS operator Telesat for additional Ku-band satellite broadband capacity from the Telstar 12 satellite.

Telstar 12 covers Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. OmniAccess will use the capacity from the Telesat-operated satellite to deliver maritime satellite broadband services in the Mediterranean and Europe's inland waterways.

OmniAccess has also decided to upgrade its satellite Teleport in Palma de Mallorca, Spain with the new X7 series modem from iDirect. The teleport will use the X7 to access the new capacity from Telstar 12.

A provider of VSAT services and a network integrator to boot, OmniAccess places itself at the disposal of the wide-ranging consumers of the luxury super yacht sector.

KVH reaches 3000 total TracPhone terminals for mini-VSAT Broadband network

KVH Industries proudly reported the successful shipment of the 3,000th TracPhone terminal that comprises its mini-VSAT Broadband network.

The Company's mini-VSAT Broadband network delivers affordable and critical offshore data connections to the crew members of a quarter of a million commercial, government, and leisure vessels. It taps fourteen Ku-band transponders to provide broadband Internet by satellite services throughout the entire northern hemisphere as well as the southern hemisphere's major continents.

KVH delivers a complete, end-to-end high-speed satellite Internet solution for offshore connectivity through the mini-VSAT Broadband network. The Company not only designs and builds the onboard TracPhone terminals and antennas, but it also owns the Earth station equipment, leases the satellite capacity, and serves as the network manager. Its terminals use satellite antenna that are 85 percent smaller than the norm thanks to spread ViaSat spectrum modem technology.

KVH upgrades capacity of mini-VSAT satellite network for Caribbean region

The growing demand of the Caribbean customer base can now be accomodated by the doubled satellite capacity of the mini-VSAT Broadband satellite network operated by KVH Industries.

KVH is currently upgrading the capacity of its global network of communications satellites with the help of ViaSat, which is installing Variable Coding, Spreading, and Modulation (VCSM) technology. With VCSM spread spectrum technology, KVH can deliver speedy and quality service through satellite antennas that are 85 percent smaller than its rivals.

In addition to upgrading its network, KVH will also expand its business model. The Company is tapping existing commercial FSS satellite capacity provided by the satellite industry's leading companies across the vast oceans of the world.

KVH's mini-VSAT Broadband is a hybrid global network that uses both C-band and Ku-band capacity from 17 leased transponders. The network uses 1 meter, dual-mode TracPhone V11 antenna unique to KVH alone.

In a statement, Executive Vice President Brent Bruun of KVH Mobile Broadband Group stated that the Company's customers enjoy satellite services of the highest quality. KVH services include satellite Internet connectivity and VoIP (Voice over IP) telephone with optimized service and application priority.

Harms Bergung equips tug fleet with Inmarsat XpressLink broadband-VSAT system

Harms Bergung will equip the Inmarsat XpressLink hybrid VSAT-wireless communications platform on its anchor handling tug fleet, according to an announcement by Inmarsat.

DH-INTERCOM served as the broker between Harms Bergung and Inmarsat. A German maritime communications specialist, DH-Intercom is one of the first XpressLink distributors ever approved by Inmarsat. It is also an Inmarsat service provider with Gold accreditations. The XpressLink contract it recently brokered would be DH-INTERCOM's second such successfully contract in Germany.

Based in Hamburg, Harms Bergung provides transport and heavy lifting maritime services. Installing the Inmarsat XpressLink platform gives its fleet a fully-integrated hybrid Ku-band and L-band wireless and satellite communications solution for a fixed monthly cost.

XpressLink's FleetBroadband L-band service supports always-on data speeds of 768kbps while its maritime VSAT service provides a committed information rate of 192kbps. The dual system enhances the security and capability of an XpressLink-equipped ship's communications and Internet connectivity wherever it may be.

In addition, Harms Bergung can choose to upgrade to Global Xpress -the next-generation global Ka-band satellite network- for free. Set for launch on 2014, the Global Xpress satellite broadband service is expected to double the bandwidth available to maritime customers.

Astrium expands satellite broadband capacity on Intelsat 21, 22 mobility infrastructure

Astrium Services Business Communications and Intelsat S.A. have reached an agreement for additional satellite broadband capacity on Intelsat's mobile infrastructure.

Intelsat will expand Astrium' existing capacity by tapping the recently-upgraded Intelsat 21 and Intelsat 22 multi-band satellites. This will allow Astrium Services to offer improved satellite broadband service to transportation, cruise, and offshore consumers around the world.

WaveCall, Pharostar, and other maritime VSAT services have drawn upon the extra capacity on the Intelsat 22's mobile infrastructure to enhance coverage of the heavily-trafficked Indian Ocean. Astrium Services will also draw upon the Intelsat 21 satellite to expand Astrium's maritime VSAT service capacity in heavily-trafficked areas that need more capacity.

In order to access additional capacity on Intelsat 21 and Intelsat 22, Astrium Services will integrate its proprietary global teleport network with IntelsatOne Network Broadband, an IP/MPLS-integrated network of VSAT service platforms and teleports around the world. Together, the integrated Astrium-Intelsat systems ensure an excellent level of reliability and performance.

VSAT customers are already enjoying the new capacity and improved connectivity provided by Intelsat's recently-enhanced C- and Ku-band infrastructure. WaveCall and Pharostar have been providing support for smaller VSAT antennas. Meanwhile, Astrium Services' own commercial VSAT, which offers high data allowances and speeds that reach up to 1.5 Mbps, have been a hit with customers.