❯ INDEPENDENT INSIGHT FOR MARINE TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONALS November 2010

Making the most of broadband satcomsMichiel Meijer, maritime marketingmanager for Stratos Global, and a formerofficer on merchant and Dutch navalships, looks at the benefits of onboardbroadband from the various platforms.

Relentless demand from ship managersand crewmembers for faster, more reliablecommunications has prompted shippingcompanies to accelerate their plans toupgrade existing networks.

Ship managers are demanding high-performance broadband connectivity to ensure peak performance of a wide range of business-critical applications. They are insisting on a robust platform on which they can perform IT support from shore while a vessel is at sea (remote PC management), includingdownloading software updates to entirefleets simultaneously. They need to quicklytransmit data from ships' onboard sensorsthat report engine performance and fuelconsumption. Also, they understand howreliable broadband can facilitate rapid cargo tracking, fuel-optimisation programs,video conferencing, telemedicine servicesand at-sea cellular services.

At the same time, crew members areclamoring for reasonably priced private e-mail, SMS messaging, GSM calling and controlled Internet connectivity forchatting with all major Internet communities,web browsing and access to news services.Ship managers realise they are at a majordisadvantage if they cannot offer crewmembers access to these crew-welfareservices. They also know that reducing crewchurn can profoundly reduce expensesassociated with crew training – whileimproving morale and productivity.

❚ Comparing alternatives

In hundreds of organisations, the drive tomeet these demands has led to a rigorousreview of the latest satellite-based solutions.

Today, these solutions include compact,economical L-band solutions from Inmarsatand Iridium, as well as higher-priced VSATofferings that are available in Ku-band andC-band alternatives.

Nearly all maritime organisations sharethe same general objectives. They want toimprove operational efficiency and lowercosts. They are eager to deploy systems that can offer faster, more reliable data and voice connectivity. At the same time,they insist on having optimal control overtheir communications costs to increaseoperating efficiency.

As they evaluate competing services, ship owners often find that Ku-band VSAT(very small aperture terminal) systemspromise high amounts of guaranteedbandwidth for a fixed fee. However, fewshipping companies can afford the capitalinvestment and high monthly feesassociated with VSAT solutions. Ku-bandVSAT systems also are known to providelimited reliability. The reliability of Ku-bandVSAT systems can be negatively affected by inclement weather and beam switching – the switching from one satellite coveragearea to another.

Instead, the shipping industry hasmigrated in droves to the latest global L-band satellite solutions that offerbroadband bandwidth on a predictablebundled-data basis. This migration isillustrated by the fact that hundreds ofprogressive shipping companies and navalforces have adopted Inmarsat'sFleetBroadband satellite service on morethan 12,000 vessels over the past threeyears. The service provides simultaneousdata and voice communications at speedsup to 432kbps, via compact antennasavailable in sizes of 25cm or 60cmdiameter.

These deployments have demonstratedhow upgraded systems can enhance theperformance of all critical communications,improve crew welfare, enable remote ITsupport of vessels at sea, and reduce costs.

In September 2010, Taiwan's EvergreenMarine Corp. provided the latest example of this trend, as it completed deployment of the FleetBroadband 500 service on its entire fleet of 70 container vessels.Evergreen is one of the world's largestinternational shipping companies. Thebroadband service is helping Evergreen to

Crew calling systems andaccess to internet and

communications provide auseful incentive in keeping

valuable crew members

Today’s crewmembers demand private email, SMS messaging, GSM calling and Internet connectivity

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ensure optimal vessel performance andimprove crew welfare.

Evergreen successfully integratedFleetBroadband with the AmosConnectsoftware to manage all e-mail, fax, SMS and inter-office communications.FleetBroadband powers numerous otheronboard applications, including remotemanagement, which allows headquarterspersonnel to manage the ship's computerswithout visiting the vessel. It also includesdatabase synchronisation and access to theonboard voyage data recorder.

In the future, Evergreen has the option touse FleetBroadband for engine-performanceanalysis and emissions monitoring, to helpreduce fuel costs and comply with emissionsregulations. Evergreen also is testing BlueOcean Wireless (BOW) GSM service. BOW GSM, which can be deployed viaFleetBroadband terminals, is a dedicatedGSM service for crewmembers and officersof merchant ships.

❚ Managing broadband costs

While the high performance and reliability of the latest communications networks isvery attractive to operators, they are equallyas impressed with the new value-addedservices that ensure efficient use of availablebandwidth. To monitor costs and minimiseunnecessary usage, the most innovativeservice providers offer applications thatprovide cost and traffic control, firewallmanagement, data optimisation, high

security options, easy VPN access, messagingservices and a full range of IP options.

One example of these strategic services is the online Stratos Dashboard, whichprovides real-time information on theamount of FleetBroadband traffic used forvoice and data, and the associated costs.This fully automated tool offers high-usagealerts to ensure budgets are not exceeded,and it helps customers to manage theconsumption per vessel or groups of vessels.

❚ Meeting future demand

As the global maritime industry's use ofsatellite services continues to grow, so dothe challenges faced by leading serviceproviders. Improvements in the efficiencyand quality of satellite communicationsservices have kept broadband costs stableover the past few years.

However, satellite operators and serviceproviders must continue to introduceinnovative solutions that meet the demandingnetworking requirements of individualshipping companies. Today, these includeflat-fee options for L-band services, as well asnew hybrid offerings that combine the bestattributes of both VSAT and L-band services.

In the coming years, we will see thearrival of satellite services that set newstandards for performance and affordability.For example, Inmarsat recently announcedthat its Global Xpress VSAT service will be commercially available in 2014. The Ka-band service will be faster and lessexpensive than current Ku-band marketofferings. It will provide 50 Mbps broadbandservice to a ship or aircraft, and 10 Mbps to a 20cm antenna. It is expected to be the first truly global VSAT service.

These creative service offerings willcontinue to prove that new communicationsnetworks are ideally suited to help ensureefficient business management. ■

Michiel Meijer, maritime marketing manager of Stratos

Ships managers demandbroadband connectivity toensure peak performance ofbusiness-critical applications

Reprinted with permission of The Motorship © 2010

Upgraded systems improvecrew welfare

All photos courtesy of Stratos

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