Inmarsat yesterday announced a new era in communications at sea, a “quantum leap” from all that has gone before. And this time, the use of such words was not mere PR hype.
Fleet Broadband, the service that was unveiled, really will change the way not only ships and fishing boats but also yachts as well stay in touch with the shore while crossing oceans.
For not only is this the first fully IP-based satellite service, capable of allowing voice and data transmission simultaneously at speeds of up to 432kbps, the equipment required to use it is also much smaller, and more affordable than ever before.
Fleet Broadband uses the advanced capability of Inmarsat's latest generation satellites, the Inmarsat-4s.The service will initially be available on the two Inmarsat-4 sites currently in orbit over the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean. Following the successful launch of the third Inmarsat-4, scheduled for Arpril 2008, Fleet Broadband will be available globally.
“The development of Fleet Broadband is part of our strategy to keep innovating to develop new services that are faster, smaller, cheaper and more accessible for a range of maritime users globally,” said Michael Buller, president of Inmarsat.
There are two levels of Fleet Broadband service available, FB500, which will be used on ships and fishing boats and larger yachts. The above deck dome diameter is around 57 cm and weighs about 18kg.
For smaller yachts, FB250 delivers slightly slower IP connection, up to 284 kbps, but the dome diameter is only 25 cm, and weighs just 2.5 kg. Even smaller, lighter aerials are expected to be available soon.
Both services support voice, fax and 3G SMS functionality, as well as vastly improved Internet access.
Installation of Fleet Broadband is said to be very simple, and the service is “pay as you go,” costing about $1.25 a minute, so yachts taking part in events like the ARC, for example, can keep costs under control, once they have installed the equipment. At the moment, that is likely to cost about £5,000, although it may become less expensive in future.
Even if you are not considering crossing oceans, and have no interest in installing such equipment on your own boat, there is reason for yachtsmen to celebrate the launch of Fleet Broadband.
The yachts in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009 will use it to transmit HDTV footage from wherever they are on the world's oceans. This will make following the race more exciting than ever before.
Michael Buller said that in six weeks his company would be closing down Inmarsat A, the original analogue satellite communications channel, which has been in service since 1982.
He gave a commitment that Fleet Broadband would have at least the same 25 year operational life.
Piers Cunningham, head of maritime business, Inmarsat, said: “We have moved on light years in terms of what we can offer.”
Looking at the likely leisure sector demand for the new product, he said it would enable people to spend more time on their boats, because they would be able to “take the office with them,” and do video conferencing back to the office, for example. He stressed that voice communications through the new network would be “crystal clear.”
And he was absolutely confident that Fleet Broadband would prove its capabilities through the Volvo Ocean Race, one of the most demanding testing grounds imaginable.
