Enhanced broadband gets first customer

Additionally, FBBPlus is claimed to offer a highly flexible migration path toward Inmarsat’s Global Xpress 50Mbps services, expected to be commercially available in 2013. FBBPlus combines Inmarsat’s FleetBroadband satellite communications service with the Ku-band VSAT service. For a flat monthly fee, FBBPlus offers a managed data communications capability of up to 25 GB per month, which the company says gives high throughput and bandwidth at a predictable cost.

Hapag Lloyd is the first FBBPlus customer; under a five-year contract, Stratos recently began deploying FBBPlus on some 40 vessels for the Hamburg-based operator, which prides itself on its advanced IT and communication systems.

For Hapag-Lloyd, Stratos is fully integrating FBBPlus with AmosConnect – Stratos’ maritime communications software application – to manage all email, fax, SMS and interoffice communications. The Stratos Advantage suite of will help optimise performance, security and cost control.

Stratos says that FBBPlus is the only service that delivers a managed MPLS extension network over separate L-band and Ku-band networks, delivering resilient and redundant paths. The MPLS network separates and logically manages business, crew and non-essential traffic, while delivering high-quality voice communications via the Inmarsat circuit-switched network.

“Hapag-Lloyd is impressed by our ability to offer a flexible, fully managed broadband service. Because FBBPlus is based on FleetBroadband, Hapag-Lloyd is confident that it will help them meet their business goals and provide their ships with optimal performance and reliability at all times,” said Stratos president and CEO Jim Parm.