Broadband

  • At London International Shipping Week held in September, KVH Industries, Inc. introduced the second generation of its mini-VSAT Broadband solution for the maritime market, providing a combination of data delivered at high speeds and at low price points, with vessel operational and crew entertainment/informational content, tools, and support, optimizing broadband effectiveness in serving the needs of seafarers. Tom Mulligan reports.

    Based in Middletown, RI, KVH Industries is a provider of in-motion satellite TV and communications systems, designing, manufacturing, and supplying mobile satellite antennas for applications on vessels, vehicles, and aircraft. The company provides news, music, and entertainment content to a range of industries including the maritime, retail, and leisure sectors, with its UK-based subsidiary Videotel providing training films, computer-based training and e-Learning content.

    Expanded Service: Flexibility & Quality Content
    KVH’s expanded VSAT service, mini-VSAT Broadband 2.0, encompasses rugged, reliable antennas and other hardware, flexible airtime options, extensive operations and entertainment content, innovative content delivery, and comprehensive support from a single global provider.  “The future competitiveness of the maritime industry will be affected by how rapidly shipping operators take advantage of big data,” said Martin Kits van Heyningen, CEO, KVH. “It’s important to adopt a big data mindset: data is becoming a resource in its own right. The maritime industry has been slow to adopt big data even though the industry faces many challenges for which data capture and analysis can provide answers, from meeting an increasing number of maritime regulations to improving the fuel efficiency of vessels underway. The maritime industry has spent the past 20 years trying to limit the amount of data going on and off vessels, while the rest of the world has been doing the exact opposite in adopting big data.”

    Computer analysis of big data greatly exceeds human capacity in providing information that can make a maritime operation more efficient: real-time analysis of such data as engine monitoring and fuel consumption combined with operational data provided through satellite communication, for example weather data, enables the optimization of a voyage for financial performance, not just for time and distance.

    The maritime industry is also looking to satellite communications and broadband services to improve quality of life for seafarers through the provision of informational and entertainment programming which users can access in their off-duty periods. This combination of demand for big data for operational purposes and the need for an efficient onboard broadband entertainment service is driving developments in onboard VSAT-based broadband services.

    “Other satellite communications providers respond to increasing broadband demand by simply increasing airtime rates. We knew there was a better solution,” said Van Heyningen. “We provide maritime customers with affordable, usage-based plans at the data speeds they need to take advantage of new cloud-based applications for improving operational efficiency and we give them the tools they need for bandwidth management by user and vessel.

    “Competitive market factors make it clear that the maritime industry needs to change how it thinks about connectivity and its impact on competitiveness and profitability,” he said. “KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband 2.0 helps maritime enterprises meet their complex operational requirements, while providing affordable communications and engaging content for their onboard personnel.”

    Meeting Maritime Requirements
    Brent Bruun, KVH’s Executive Vice President, Mobile Broadband, said that KVH has been and continues to be an innovative technology company focused on mobile products and services addressing large markets and that its products have always been designed around maritime market requirements. The product history includes the Sailcomp digital compass introduced in 1982; the TracVision TV-at-sea system introduced in 1994; and more recently, fast and affordable mobile communications systems, including mini-VSAT Broadband, which was introduced in 2007.

    “The mini-VSAT Broadband service provides an end-to-end global communications solution, with the capability of leveraging readily available commercial satellites to expand network capacity,” said Bruun. “It is designed to meet current maritime industry trends, where we need to change how we think about connectivity and content delivery, as data access is now a necessity to attract the best seafarers. We are entering a big data era for operational efficiency.”

    “It’s a digital world, even at sea”
    Mike Mitsock, KVH’s Vice President, Marketing, added: “It’s a digital world, even at sea,” and asked whether the maritime industry has what it needs to succeed. He emphasized the newly introduced mini-VSAT Broadband 2.0 system is a complete global maritime communications solution, offering the connectivity maritime operators need, providing global onboard connectivity; hardware and network management; licensed content; and affordable content delivery underpinned by a comprehensive service and support program.

    Mitsock said the mini-VSAT Broadband 2.0 system is connecting ships faster and more affordably through open and metered plans that deliver data at the network’s highest speeds, typically as fast as 4 Mbps: “This makes it 40% less expensive to get the same amount of data at 50% higher speeds, and in some cases, at a 15 times faster speed at one-third the cost.” KVH offers a number of fixed-rate speed-based plans with clear monthly data allotments to suit each user’s requirements. A second key feature of the new system is myKVH, a secure, personalized management portal that allows the user to track vessel status and location, as well as data use. This enables the allocation of customized operational and crew data use for every individual onboard or by user profile. Daily or monthly allocations can be assigned, and appropriate alerts by email and/or SMS text sent to users when 50, 80 and 100% of their allocations have been used.

    In addition, the KVH OneCare customer support program provides an array of service offerings that includes application engineering, with standard proven solutions, network planning and integration, and custom work as required; solution deployment, with equipment installation, testing and service commissioning, and initial user training; and ongoing operating support, with technical assistance, preventative maintenance, and extended warranty options.

    “Content onboard is a business necessity”
    “Content onboard is a business necessity, not a ‘nice-to-have’,” said Nigel Cleave, CEO of KVH’s subsidiary Videotel, “and KVH has a comprehensive portfolio of operational and entertainment content for optimizing safety and efficiency, keeping the crew happy, and improving crew recruitment and retention. For example, IP-MobileCast: Operations Content provides critical data for operations, with large data files delivered automatically, reliably, and affordably. Charts include electronic chart updates and weather data are provided in the detail required for voyage optimization and training packages provide safety training onboard covering both the latest legislation and operational practices, an important requirement nowadays as the quality of crew and training standards have been identified as risks to the safety of shipping. KVH delivers this content through a variety of means, including as e-training and through multicasting, and is partnering with industry leaders to optimize this delivery.”
    In addition to operations content delivery, IP-MobileCast entertainment content delivers a very wide range of entertainment, including news, sports, movies, TV episodes, and music content, stored on a KVH onboard server for immediate access. This gives the ability to stream different programming to multiple devices at the same time at no additional cost, the content being accessible on TVs, crew member tablets, smartphones or laptops.

    Content Delivery Technology
    The mini-VSAT Broadband 2.0 system makes use of KVH’s TracPhone V-IP series satellite communications antenna hardware, which comprises terminals that transmit the data on and off the vessel at sea; there are three choices, from smallest to largest: TracPhone V3-IP, TracPhone V7-IP, and TracPhone V11-IP. mini-VSAT Broadband connectivity is provided through KVH’s maritime VSAT network, a C/Ku-band satellite network with 26 beams and 19 satellites providing global coverage. The network was launched in 2007 and KVH has continued to expand it: it now features MPLS and global static IPs for the highest possible data security.

    Content delivery is based on IP-MobileCast technology, in which multicasting delivers content without affecting vessel data consumption or performance. According to Robert Hopkins, Jr., Director of IP-MobileCast Services at KVH, there is a shortage of bandwidth at sea, meaning that today large data files such as digital charts and movies are still predominantly delivered physically. Other data such as weather is mainly delivered in low resolution, which is satisfactory for determining the position of, for example, cold fronts, but not sufficiently detailed to enable proper voyage planning for fuel consumption optimization purposes. Maritime satellite service providers cannot support streaming video, and roughly half of a commercial vessel’s data usage is wasted by the crew on fruitless Internet browsing . Hopkins said the challenge is how to deliver needed content via satellite affordably, without degrading the operations network.
    Through the use of multicasting and an onboard server, one transmission sends the file to all licensed vessels, which is cached on the server for immediate access, overcoming the reduced efficiency of unicast delivery, in which a file is transmitted to each user on each receiving vessel, the number of transmissions equaling the number of users. Thus KVH’s content delivery strategy, based on IP-MobileCast, enables up to 500 GB/month of entertainment and operational content to be provided, typically in the ratio of 80% entertainment to 20% operational information.

    “IP-MobileCast doesn’t harm or compete with a vessel’s Internet access or VoIP services,” said Hopkins. “Beam capacity is sized for peak loads, leaving about half the network capacity unused, and multicast data are transmitted in unused bandwidth, at a lower priority than standard IP traffic. The use of multicasting is therefore highly efficient in that it does not use any of the data allotment of the mini-VSAT Broadband system’s airtime plan.”

    (As published in the October2015 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News - http://magazines.marinelink.com/Magazines/MaritimeReporter)

  • and shore. The marketplace says it can be done. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News, with the help of industry insiders, explains how.    Maritime Broadband’s Triple Play Although Maritime Broadband isn’t the biggest or best known maritime communications provider, the engineering company’s VSAT communication

  • , maritime service providers are seeing a transformation in the type and quantity of applications that need to be supported at sea.   The advent of VSAT broadband services is driving a shift away from traditional, low-level L-band connections that ship operators have relied upon for decades. VSAT services are

  • major improvements in the quality of subsurface mapping of geological formations containing complex salt bodies have taken place with the introduction of broadband seismic survey technology. Since the discovery of the Lula oil field in 2006, CGG’s BroadSeis has been involved in the most important pre-salt discoveries

  • to be consumed in order to be compliant with various maritime regulations, both current and future. For the time being, and while the cost of SATCOM and broadband remains higher than cellular plans, the difference between the two has closed measurably in the last five years. SATCOM for Inland Business SATCOM

  • While the true uptake of broadband across the maritime sector has been slow to develop, a number of market conditions are conspiring to drive the service mainstream. Intelsat’s Kurt Riegelman discusses the matter with Maritime Reporter & Engineering News.   While the advent of full broadband in the

  • such as KVH are growing their business and product portfolios at an equally rapid clip. “The big driver in the business today is the capability of broadband,” said Jim Dodez, SVP Marketing and Strategic Planning, KVH Industries, Inc. “So it’s not one thing, it’s not entertainment alone, for example. It’s

  • environment. And, that involves plenty. Talking about Harvey Gulf’s business model, Steve Griffin, Sales Manager of the KVH Commercial Maritime, Mobile Broadband Group told MarineNews in March, “They are a visionary company. They are building and adapting the capabilities of their supply boats. As they are

  • global high-speed Internet, television, and voice services via satellite to mobile users at sea and on land. These solutions include the mini-VSAT Broadband network, TracPhone satellite communications antenna systems, and TracVision satellite television antenna systems. KVH is based in Middletown, RI

  • Engineers. Control of each vessel would be dependent on the constant flow of critical data fed from the vessel to the Control Center. Maritime broadband communications is considerably elevated in its operational importance, because of the volume of data required to be constantly transferred.   What

  • Fuels Efficiencies But the value of communications is more than even that, says Brent Bruun, KVH Industries Executive Vice President, Mobile Broadband. “More owners and operators are beginning to look at connectivity as a strategic advantage,” . . . for “getting ready for the Internet of Things

  • Hull Electronics Company, San Diego, Calif., recently announced their new family of linear amplifiers and matching power supplies. These broadband solid-state amplifiers are offered in three configurations: 1,000 watts PEP and CW; 1,000 watts PEP, 500 watts CW; 500 watts PRP and CW. The

  • MT Jan-24#29 ? sh uses the low-
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    January 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 29

    fying mines, especially the hard-to-? nd bottom and buried mines in high clutter environments. Knife? sh uses the low- frequency broadband capability devel- oped by the Physical Acoustics Branch of the Naval Research Laboratory. The 2,000-lb., 22-foot long Knife? sh is based on the Blue? n 21 UUV.

  • MT Sep-23#69  UXO within  high-resolution broadband multibeam  is particularly)
    September 2023 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 69

    aim of the project was formance. The iWBMSh is a compact, ered operating costs. This technology to locate the non-ferrous UXO within high-resolution broadband multibeam is particularly well-suited for rapidly the potential cable corridor. At project sonar solution that includes a curved and accurately

  • MT May-23#10  BLUEFIN CELEBRATES 25
cy broadband (LFBB) sonar. LFBB’s)
    May 2023 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 10

    MILESTONE BLUEFIN CELEBRATES 25 cy broadband (LFBB) sonar. LFBB’s capabilities have been op- SEA1778 expeditionary mine-countermeasures program. erationalized on the Navy’s Knife? sh system, which is a critical Like the Blue? n-21s, the smaller UUVs also have a free- element for the Littoral Combat

  • MT Nov-22#30  glider’s location data.
The broadband D11 Sound Source 
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    November 2022 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 30

    correlate it with acoustic data from the hydro- trol, they moved to a real system, containing four active hy- phones and the glider’s location data. The broadband D11 Sound Source the Blue Ocean MTS project used. Image from Blue Ocean MTS 30 November/December 2022 MTR #8 (18-33).indd 30 11/28/2022 3:22:22 P

  • MT Sep-22#60 . has developed Low-frequency broadband (LFBB), a 
technology)
    September 2022 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 60

    MTR 100 Tech Talk: LFBB Marc/Adobestock The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, D.C. has developed Low-frequency broadband (LFBB), a technology area that exploits the structural acoustics in- volved with underwater sonar. According to Dr. Brian Houston, Acoustics Division Superintendent at

  • MT Sep-22#41 , while back-up 
from FleetBroadband ensures 100% network)
    September 2022 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 41

    no drop-out at sat- ellite handover. Unique, steerable beams provide additional, high-speed capacity where it is most needed, while back-up from FleetBroadband ensures 100% network availability ad- herence. These unparalleled capabilities make Fleet Xpress the connectivity solution of choice for a variety

  • MT Sep-22#33  on stand.
service and broadband connectivity, it’s the)
    September 2022 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 33

    , no shipbuilding technology event – Iridum had an moving part, antennas that also provide very low-latency XOcean USV displayed on stand. service and broadband connectivity, it’s the ideal ? t for the applications that the USVs need to perform.” The applica- tions on the XOcean USV span from the ©2022

  • MN Oct-22#61 . Iridium is the only  ty broadband service, Iridium Certus)
    October 2022 - Marine News page: 61

    MN Environmental Marine Inc. Iridium Environmental Marine Inc. & Safety System). Iridium is the only ty broadband service, Iridium Certus. E NVIRONMENTAL mobile voice and data satellite com- Iridium has connected all manner of munications network that spans the mariners from solo adventurers, mer- M

  • MN Jun-22#43   Fleet Xpress maritime broadband ser-
4. Voyager Fleet)
    June 2022 - Marine News page: 43

    offers a complete stopping the working processes. company Inmarsat said it has made its line of Alu Design & Services Marine Fleet Xpress maritime broadband ser- 4. Voyager Fleet Insight Pilot Chairs and Deck Rails. There vice available to shipyards. Installed is a standard line in addition to the

  • MN Jun-22#31  make it possible to send 
broadband data without a satellite)
    June 2022 - Marine News page: 31

    steroids.” Develop- ment was started by the International Association of Lighthouse Authori- ties’ e-NAV Committee. VDES will make it possible to send broadband data without a satellite link, making communication more economical. However, service would be limited to near coastal waters, say, within 50km

  • MN Jun-22#30  that with 
KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband satellite network “each)
    June 2022 - Marine News page: 30

    Feature Comms mal: a satellite communications antenna. Operationally it just needs an active airtime account. Collins said that with KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband satellite network “each ves- sel can choose a particular airtime package, i.e., amount of data, for their needs, such as email, crew Internet, etc

  • MT Jan-22#20  system cur-
Low-Frequency Broadband  rently available that)
    January 2022 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 20

    into a UUV,” Lammers said. The General Dynamics Mission System Knife? sh 21-inch UUV uses the LFBB technology and is the only system cur- Low-Frequency Broadband rently available that is capable of detecting, classifying and The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, D.C. identifying buried mines

  • MT Sep-21#48  ef-
company’s Maritime Broadband Radio (MBR) ‘information)
    September 2021 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 48

    EM2040 multi-beam as ocean farming for climate-friendly food production. The echo sounder, providing unparalleled seabed mapping ef- company’s Maritime Broadband Radio (MBR) ‘information ? ciency with up to 1000m of continuous swath. Data can highway’, meanwhile, can allow shore-based teams to re- be shared

  • MR Sep-21#23  radiated noise. In 2019, BC 
broadband target, a SRKW communication)
    September 2021 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 23

    Nortske Veritas (DNV) as its spectrum based underwater radiated noise targets: a general third party expert in underwater radiated noise. In 2019, BC broadband target, a SRKW communication band target, and a Ferries also released a global Request for Expressions of In- SRKW echolocation band target (Figure

  • MT Jul-21#57  one-ton steel  etSeis broadband digital sensor tech)
    July 2021 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 57

    TidGen Project set to launch of 300m. GPR300 features Sercel’s Qui- Xsens is adding a new GNSS/Inertial in Maine. Swift Anchors one-ton steel etSeis broadband digital sensor tech for Navigation System (INS) module, the anchor are designed to provide the same ultra-quiet performance. Its ability to re- MTi-670

  • MT Jul-21#49  
to meet the expansion of broadband 
intra-regionally. For)
    July 2021 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 49

    be a need for transoceanic systems to be built or replace underserved routes, we see greater need for regional systems to meet the expansion of broadband intra-regionally. For marine services, this would indicate greater reliance on good route engineering, inshore cable protection, and the development

  • MT May-21#31  
Kongsberg’s Seatex Maritime Broadband Radio (MBR) of-
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    May 2021 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 31

    2021 and is looking to grow its ? eet from 14 USVs to 40 by though bandwidth exploitation. the end of next year (2022). Kongsberg’s Seatex Maritime Broadband Radio (MBR) of- fers high bandwidth communications and direct control over Your View Below the Surface THE COMPLETE SOFTWARE SOLUTION FOR SURVEYORSTHE

  • MT May-21#30  de- XPRIZE USV, and marine broadband communications, which)
    May 2021 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 30

    , says Simpson. MATE, which was integrated into SEA-KIT’s GEBCO-NF The company delivered one vessel last year and will de- XPRIZE USV, and marine broadband communications, which liver three this year and expects to maintain that speed of allow for going beyond line of sight, to enable continued safe

  • MT Mar-21#52  pleased to offer  enhanced broadband imaging,  from multiple)
    March 2021 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 52

    minimizes vibration. For tracking is combined with data input remote quality monitoring of in-prog- ress surveys. “We are pleased to offer enhanced broadband imaging, from multiple sensors. SiNAPS is ca- PIKSEL can be containerized to en- pable of real-time output of positioning our customers the ability

  • MT Jan-21#44  n 21 vehicle. “Low-frequency broadband (LFBB) is our term for)
    January 2021 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 44

    is built upon the General Dynamics technology for transition to a program of record,” Taylor said. Mission Systems Blue? n 21 vehicle. “Low-frequency broadband (LFBB) is our term for a technol- According to Dr. Sam Taylor, PEO Unmanned and Small ogy area that we developed here at the Naval Research Labo- Combata

  • MN Jan-21#43  areas such  other satellite broadband capabilities 
commodation)
    January 2021 - Marine News page: 43

    to run silently as a weather-resilient complement to industries with interior solutions for ac- and keep itself cool in hot areas such other satellite broadband capabilities commodation, catering, laundry, pub- as engine rooms that may otherwise on ships, aircraft and vehicles and is lic and technical

  • MN Nov-20#53  Xpress contract, each push  Broadband’s L-band.
marks a breakthroug)
    November 2020 - Marine News page: 53

    ported by Impala. As part of a three- plus continuous back-up over Fleet- lite communications provider, this year Fleet Xpress contract, each push Broadband’s L-band. marks a breakthrough for maritime boat is installed with 20 IP cameras “Fleet Xpress is already powering the broadband inland along

  • MR Nov-20#51  re-
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    November 2020 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 51

    . One of day. These are clear challenges which the indispensable tools in that battle the industry must address if it is to re- has been the advent of broadband turn to an even keel. Satellite connec- connectivity on board to enable an tivity enables all of this and more. By online experience for passengers

  • MT Oct-20#53  lanes near 
signs and builds broadband wireless 
awarded 14)
    October 2020 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 53

    traf? c in the vicin- • Marecomms Inc. (Halifax, NS) de- The ? rst Ocean Startup Challenge ity of the busy Increased sea lanes near signs and builds broadband wireless awarded 14 companies with $25,000 Straits of Gibraltar have negatively im- communication solutions for mari- each to help them advance