Intelsat has released a smaller antenna class for its FlexMaritime service that will bring a new level of broadband connectivity performance and affordability to fishing and light commercial vessels around the world.
The 45 centimetre antennas are small enough to hand carry aboard vessels and easy to install. They are also easy to connect to the Intelsat FlexMaritime network, which provides fast data speeds of up to 6 x 2 megabits per second (Mbps), enabling everything from accessing real-time online weather forecasts to livestreaming over social media.
“Our new 45cm antenna class on FlexMaritime is a new, highly innovative offering in the maritime market,” said Intelsat Director of Maritime Products Shane Rossbacher.
“By combining new 45cm antenna technology with the FlexMaritime global HTS satellite network, we have enabled smaller commercial and recreational vessels to easily, and affordably, access the same great connectivity using a smaller and cost-effective antenna form factor.”
45cm terminals from KNS and Intellian are qualified on the Intelsat FlexMaritime network. They come with a choice of separate or integrated Antenna Control Unit (ACU) and a modem powered by ST Engineering iDirect. Connectivity is provided by the high-performance Intelsat FlexMaritime network, which delivers unparalleled, multi-layered global coverage through more than 140 satellite beams.
“With Intelsat’s new FlexMaritime 45cm antenna class, users will experience unmatched performance with ubiquitous coverage wherever they go, enabling even more vessels around the world to take advantage of the high-throughput capabilities of Intelsat’s global network,” Shane Rossbacher added.
Over the last year, Intelsat had conducted extensive testing of the new 45cm service with beta partner KNS, which included fine tuning design and algorithms to meet the FlexMaritime requirements. Extensive sea trials were also conducted earlier this year onboard Esvagt Innovator, an emergency response and rescue vehicle, with the 45cm service delivering the consistent and dependable performance expected from Intelsat’s FlexMaritime service.
“We conducted extensive testing and sea trials of FlexMaritime’s 45cm service using the KNS C4 antenna, with the service consistently meeting or exceeding our performance expectations; in fact, during testing, our crew stayed connected during some very harsh sea conditions,” said Kim Martinsen, CEO and Co-Founder of Seasat A/S, a Flex45 beta launch solution partner.
“This is a great application,” he continued.
“Our compact and lightweight antenna is easy to install, and the flexibility of Intelsat’s service allows end customers to quickly and easily dial bandwidth up or down to meet their real-time needs.”
Maritime solutions providers can source Intelsat-qualified 45cm terminals directly from KNS or Intellian, or from their distribution partners.
The addition of the 45cm terminal represents the third terminal class for Intelsat FlexMaritime services, adding to Intelsat’s existing 60cm and one-meter antenna service offerings.
