Eutelsat and SpeedCast are launching maritime broadband service

Eutelsat Communications and SpeedCast announce they are jointly launching a new maritime broadband communications service addressing the commercial shipping sector. The partnership between Eutelsat and SpeedCast brings together expertise from Eutelsat, one of the world’s largest satellite operators and SpeedCast, a major satellite communications service provider in Asia, wholly owned by AsiaSat, the leading regional satellite operator in Asia.

The new service launched by the two companies will serve key shipping routes using Ku-band satellite capacity, mostly on Eutelsat and AsiaSat satellites. In addition to a fixed flat fee per ship, irrespective of usage, the system will provide an improved customer experience by automatically switching from one satellite coverage beam to another with no manual intervention. A major innovation of the service is the use of small one metre stabilised satellite antennas. Compared with currently used 2.4 metre C-band systems the Ku-band antennas will reduce equipment costs by more than 50% and the space occupied on deck by more than 60%.

Eutelsat and SpeedCast, together with distribution partners, are principally targeting operators of merchant shipping and fishing fleets who wish to integrate enhanced on-board applications in order to optimise productivity and improve crew welfare. The service will enable secure offshore Virtual Private Networks to be established with land-based offices so that a ship in effect becomes a mobile office fully integrated into an overall network. The provision of additional services to crew such as Internet access, GSM connectivity, Video-on-Demand, and IPTV services could also be carried through the same satellite connection.