Increasing data requirements benefit satcoms industry
Satcoms today need to handle far more than the traditional voice communications and the GMDSS requirements; ships now frequently send data ashore and/or download software, electronic charts etc via their communication links. Inmarsat and its partners continued to focus on the FleetBroadband system, offering high speed data and voice communication specifically for maritime users. Coverage went near-global early in the year with the launch of the third Inmarsat I4 satellite which covers the Asia Pacific region. This enabled users of FleetBroadband 500 and 250 (the figure refers to the size of the antenna unit) to improve their satcoms coverage, and represents a step further to the planned switch-off of the older deep-sea Inmarsat systems.
During the year the first FleetBroadband 150 terminals were launched, bringing the system within the scope of smaller vessels, albeit with a lower data transfer speed than the larger units. Thrane & Thrane, one of the major suppliers of hardware, reached the milestone of delivery of 5000 of its Sailor FleetBroadband terminals.
For users with particularly high levels of data use, VSAT services and maritime hardware continued to gain popularity with Furuno joining the growing list of hardware and airtime providers. Another VSAT specialist is KVH, which offers its Ku-band mini-VSAT systems as a cost-saving alternative to Inmarsat broadband systems for vessels or applications where SOLAS approval is not necessary. The TracPhone V7 has been adopted by a number of commercial and coast guard users. KVH also offers its own Inmarsat FleetBroadband hardware and airtime services.
Iridium has grown to a major force in maritime communications, again offering a low-cost alternative for non-SOLAS applications, mainly for voice communication but also for lower-bandwidth data uses such as vessel tracking, security systems, and a novel system for remote monitoring of vessel fuel consumption (FuelTrax from Nautical Control Solutions). The Iridium system, which offers full global (including polar) coverage from its 66-satellite low earth orbit constellation, is proving well suited to LRIT (long range identification and tracking) applications which are currently being phased in under IMO carriage requirements.
Iridium has also recently extended its offering to higher-level data, up to 128kbps, with its OpenPort product which provides a further non-GMDSS alternative to Inmarsat FleetBroadband.
With satcoms available, and affordable, for all large ships, particularly with the ever-growing need for data, it is easy to forget that ships still need traditional terrestrial radio. With this in mind, Thrane & Thrane introduced a new range of portable radios, the Sailor SP3500 series, aimed at the deep-sea merchant shipping market. The SP3500 range includes VHF and UHF, with and without scramblers, including ATEX certified versions for hazardous environments, and GMDSS versions in both normal and ATEX. All seven variants are designed for ease of use and robustness, and all are fully waterproof to IP67.
