The Complete Guide to VSAT 2018

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contents Regulars 3 Introduction 4 VSAT analysis

Opinion 6 Data analytics is the next big wave for shipping 8 Software-controlled antennas enable digital transformation 9 MEO has space for long-term satellite deployment 11 HTS and VSAT advances are changing how vessels communicate 12 Shipping is ushering in a new era of digitalisation

Operator feedback 15 Tanker owners use VSAT to improve ship operations and crew welfare 16 Carnival smashes maritime bandwidth record 18 Dry cargo shipowners deploy VSAT for operating benefits

Antennas 21 Cobham Satcom designed antennas for swift deployments 22 Tri-band terminals unveiled for passenger ships 23 KNS unveils mobile and integrated VSAT 24 Flat panels could replace conventional antennas

IT platforms 27 Modem technology is developed to keep up with HTS launches

Satellites 30 Ka-band constellations are a future for maritime satcoms 32 Delivering regional Ka-band maritime connectivity 33 Satellites deliver Ku-band VSAT to Asian shipping 34 Asian VSAT expanded with US$4.5M investment 36 Airbus builds world's most powerful satellite for SES 38 LEO constellations promise global broadband for shipping 39 Epic broadband and geostationary satellite investments

The complete guide to

Published May 2018 Editor: Martyn Wingrove t: +44 20 8370 1736 e: martyn.wingrove@rivieramm.com Sales Manager: Paul Dowling t: +44 20 8370 7014 e: paul.dowling@rivieramm.com Sales: Jo Lewis t: +44 20 8370 7793 e: jo.lewis@rivieramm.com Head of Sales – Asia: Kym Tan t: +65 9456 3165 e: kym.tan@rivieramm.com Subscriptions: Sally Church t: +44 20 8370 7018 e: sally.church@rivieramm.com Production Manager: James Millership t: +44 20 8370 7013 e: james.millership@rivieramm.com Chairman: John Labdon Managing Director: Steve Labdon Finance Director: Cathy Labdon Operations Director: Graham Harman Head of Content: Edwin Lampert Executive Editor: Paul Gunton Head of Production: Hamish Dickie Published by: Riviera Maritime Media Ltd Mitre House 66 Abbey Road Enfield EN1 2QN UK

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45 Training and media content adds value to VSAT 46 Cobham partners deliver fast satcoms solutions 48 Partnership leads to new ship connectivity services 50 Integrated solutions for full fleet communications

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The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

INTRODUCTION | 3

SHIPPING SHOULD INVEST IN VSAT AS A CRITICAL INFORMATION CONDUIT

S Martyn Wingrove, Editor

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hipowners, managers and vessel operators should consider VSAT as a critical operational system as it provides a virtual pipeline for commercial and business information. VSAT is also becoming more essential than ever before for crew welfare, which helps shipmanagers recruit and retain seafarers.

It is for these reasons that I think shipowners should be investing in VSAT, while keeping their L-band terminals as back-up for the times when their vessels are out of VSAT coverage.

Demand for broadband communications on ships has turned VSAT into systems that are critical to ship operations. I include all types of VSAT, including legacy and new C-band and Ku-band and the relatively new services on Ka-band. There is now more choice in satellite coverage and different data packages so there are no excuses for not investing in this form of ship communications.

However, some owners are still asking why they should invest in VSAT when the prices are higher than L-band alternatives. Some have also told me in the past that VSAT may not be the optimal solution for smaller vessels or ships operating in coastal waters. This is where it is competing not just with L-band, but also with cellular 3G or 4G terrestrial networks.

Nonetheless, I think ships that operate in international waters need VSAT to cater for increases in data transmission requirements for improved navigation, port communications and ship monitoring reasons.

VSAT is the conduit for weather reports, electronic chart updates, training programs, port and safety information. Masters can also send electronic ship performance reports and documents to authorities and other stakeholders, such as cargo owners and charterers, over VSAT. There are also crew welfare reasons for installing VSAT and wifi on vessels. As a younger generation of seafarers is employed in the shipping industry, crew expect to be able to use their own devices in their off-duty time to

contact friends and family through voice, email and social media.

There is demand for news services, sports and television channels on board. All these media services can be delivered through VSAT using providers’ content-casting services. Media content and social media are increasingly important for retaining crew and improving seafarer contentment.

VSAT also enables fleet managers to track and monitor their ships. They can manage broadband connectivity of vessels and individual seafarers, control internet access and voice services and introduce cyber security measures. I accept that some of this can be done using L-band, but as bandwidth is up to 10-times higher on VSAT, there is more capacity for real-time monitoring and management along with crew internet access.

It is for all these reasons that I believe that VSAT is a vital component of owners’ vessels and they must continue to invest in this communications technology. Many of these applications and technologies are detailed within this year’s Complete Guide to VSAT, which is a supplement of Marine Electronics & Communications.

It is a technology that has advanced a great deal since the first maritime VSAT system was installed 30 years ago. Since then, solution cost, size and complexity have all fallen dramatically, while adoption has continued to rise, with more than 27,000 vessels carrying C-, Ku-, or Ka-band VSAT. But this is still not even half of the potential fleet, as this is compared to more than 60,000 ships carrying Inmarsat’s FleetBroadband L-band terminals. There will be more VSAT installations in the coming year as there are at least 3,000 vessels worldwide that scheduled to receive new VSAT hardware, but this is not enough and I issue this challenge to shipowners: upgrade your vessels and play your part in bringing the whole global shipping fleet up to speed with VSAT. You know it makes sense. VSAT

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

6 | OPINION

DATA ANALYTICS IS THE NEXT BIG WAVE FOR SHIPPING Maritime industries are adopting connectivity-as-a-service and greater levels of data transmission and analytics for operational efficiencies and regulatory requirements

TracPhone V7HTS Ku-Band coverage

KVH provides VSAT coverage in C-band and Ku-band around the world

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hipping companies, workboat operators and even those operating fishing vessels are adopting VSAT connectivity to meet the growing requirements from regulatory authorities for reporting and from crew for social media access.

Further levels of digitalisation in shipping are also driving vessel owners to invest in VSAT, said KVH Industries co-founder and chief executive Martin Kits van Heyningen. There are several industry trends that are leading to greater volumes of broadband requirements, he said, but managers of ships want more flexibility in contracts and services.

In an exclusive interview with Marine Electronics & Communications, Mr Kits

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

van Heyningen said there are growing requirements for “connectivity-as-a-service” instead of multi-year contract commitments.

He expects that ship operators will want more than just data transmission and communications from these services as “data analytics and data science will be the next big wave” in maritime.

Some of the trends influencing shipowners to install VSAT across their fleets are from regulators requiring greater amounts of monitoring and reporting, such as for the EU’s emissions monitoring, reporting and verification scheme.

Owners can gain value from the data as well, by analysing it and reducing fuel consumption, said Mr Kits van Heyningen.

They can also benefit from safer navigation

that comes from their vessels using VSAT for receiving updated electronic navigational charts for ECDIS and training programs for crew.

On the social side, seafarers are requesting more connectivity on ships to access online services, especially social media. “Crew welfare is becoming more important for recruitment and retention because seafarers do not want to go on ships that are without the internet,” he said.

With all these pressures, “there is momentum for adopting VSAT and more vessel owners are embracing faster broadband.” Many are replacing their ageing L-band satellite communications equipment – which can be 10-year-old technology – with VSAT hardware and services.

This will accelerate in the next five years as more vessel operators adopt internet of things (IoT) technology. For example, VSAT enables applications such as performance and condition monitoring, both of onboard systems and the ship as a whole. It is the conduit for hull performance information

KVH developed an IP version of TracPhone V7 antenna for Ku-band connectivity

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OPINION | 7

during transits and for predicting equipment failure and keeping onboard systems’ software updated.

However, Mr Kits van Heyningen thinks IoT technology can be costly to deploy and maintain on ships. “It would be expensive to ship operators if there were no IT people on board,” he said. “Therefore, it would be much better to have IoT management over VSAT and it would allow ships to become part of a machine,” he explained.

Technology evolution is opening more opportunities for data analytics, as Mr Kits van Heyningen said, “it is not just about sensors and transferring the data”. He expects there will be demand for maritimespecific data scientists in the future. “There will be big opportunities and we are looking into this very seriously,” he told MEC. Some of this data transmission and service connectivity can be achieved over non-satellite networks, such as 3G/4G mobile or WiMax systems in areas of coverage around coastlines and in ports.

These will eventually be augmented by 5G mobile networks if those are developed, but Mr Kits van Heyningen predicted these will have shorter ranges, “so there will still be the need for satellite-based solutions”. He added that there will also be alternatives to geostationary satellites, as there will be low-Earth-orbit satellite constellations launched in the future from operators such as OneWeb.

COSTS VS BENEFITS

Shipping can use VSAT to catch up with other sectors that are already using higher levels of connectivity for monitoring systems. However, VSAT communications come at a cost, typically between US$2,000-US$3,000 per month per vessel.

This is compared with less than US$1,000 per month for L-band alternatives.

These costs are borne by shipowners but, as more technical ship management and crewing is outsourced, these owners do not necessarily see the benefits.

According to Mr Kits van Heyningen, those that may gain operational benefits include managing agencies, charterers, supplychain managers and service companies. “It is convoluted as there are many different players,” he said.

This is one of the reasons why KVH introduced its AgilePlans subscriptions for its mini-VSAT Broadband network in the middle of 2017. There are no long-term contracts, as there are with rival VSAT services. “It is connectivity-as-a-service that

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Snapshot CV

Martin Kits van Heyningen Since co-founding KVH Industries in 1982, Martin Kits van Heyningen has steered it from an entrepreneurial startup selling digital maritime compasses to a global VSAT leader that is a public company with more than 600 employees.

Under his leadership, KVH pioneered global mobile satellite TV reception and then maritime VSAT. This was augmented with the acquisition of Headland Media in 2013 and training content developer Videotel in 2014.

Mr Kits van Heyningen is a Bachelor of Arts graduate of Yale University and has been issued eight technology patents. Prior to founding KVH, he was a marketing consultant of the New England Consulting Group from 1980 to 1982.

appeals to shipmanagers as they get the benefits but do not pay for it” he explained.

This service includes all of the VSAT hardware, airtime and value-adding content at prices that start at US$500 per month. “With our service, shipowners and shipmanagers can install the hardware and then give it back when they want,” Mr Kits van Heyningen told MEC. KVH puts this hardware back in its own inventory to be redeployed on other vessels.

“Airtime innovation is our business model and this is resonating with the industry as ship operators can get VSAT on board easily,” he added. “We can include all this because we manufacture our own equipment at low costs and have the ability to offer no-contract commitments.”

KVH offers AgilePlans with its 60 cm diameter TracPhone V7 antenna and 1.1 m diameter TracPhone V11 antenna. It also provides the CommBox below-deck communications management device and content using the IP-MobileCast system. This content can include news, films and television channels, plus training programmes from Videotel, weather forecasts and ENC updates.

“It would be difficult for other [VSAT service providers] to do this as there are a lot of issues, such as transferring hardware to ships, installation and then what to do with the hardware once it is [handed] back,” said Mr Kits van Heyningen.

AgilePlans use KVH’s Ku-band coverage from around 30 different satellites. With a TracPhone V11 antenna, services can also include C-band as a back-up to Ku-band.

Users of the mini-VSAT Broadband network can get download rates of up to 4 Mbps and upload bandwidth of 1 Mbps.

In November 2017, KVH included increased bandwidth over high-throughput satellites (HTSs) operated on the IntelsatOne Flex platform as an overlay to mini-VSAT Broadband.

“People can get 10 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload with a 60 cm antenna on the HTS coverage,” he explained.

Also in November, KVH expanded its Asian VSAT coverage by using more capacity on the Sky Perfect JSAT network.

“We added coverage over the southern Indian Ocean, Australia and South Atlantic on Ku-band,” he said. Previous to this, these areas were only covered on C-band.

KVH celebrated the 10th anniversary of its VSAT services in 2017. With the advent of HTS services Mr Kits van Heyningen thinks the company is prepared for another decade of maritime VSAT growth. VSAT

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

8 | OPINION

Software-controlled antennas enable digital transformation Cobham Satcom director of maritime broadband Jens Ewerling provides a technical summary of how VSAT provides high-bandwidth ship connectivity

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Snapshot CV Jens Ewerling Jens Ewerling has 16 years in the maritime communications sector, with varying roles in Cobham Satcom and Thrane & Thrane. He became director of maritime broadband at Cobham Satcom in June 2013 when Cobham Satcom acquired Danish communications equipment supplier Thrane & Thrane, where Jens had been global VSAT business manager for almost two years.

He has also served as a product line manager for maritime satellite communications and regional sales manager for Asia Pacific.

Jens joined Thrane & Thrane from North Sails Europe, where he was a communications and marketing manager for seven years, in April 2002. Jens is a master mariner having graduated from the polytechnic maritime college in Hamburg, Germany, in 1986.

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

atellite modems operate in the L-band, which is why antennas have a low-noise block (LNB) down-converter and a block up-converter (BUC). When receiving data (Rx), the signal comes from the satellite in either Ku or Ka frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum.

This is down-converted by the LNB into L-band before going to the modem for distribution to the network on board.

For transmitting (Tx), the modem sends an L-band intermediate frequency signal to the BUC, which up-converts to Ku or Ka and then amplifies the radio frequency signal to the satellite. Depending on which satellite and transponder is being used, the Tx signal may occur at different frequencies within the full Ku or Ka band of frequency spectrum.

When installing and commissioning a VSAT antenna, one of the key steps is to set the Tx power level to ensure that no single antenna ever over-saturates the BUC power amplifier stage, as this can cause interference for other satellites. With most antenna technology, calibration is done during commissioning and is then not normally adjusted again.

However, this approach can cause problems because it requires ‘shooting for the middle’, which means the Tx power level cannot be maximised across all segments of the Ku or Ka bands. The result is that at times the antenna is essentially performing above or below optimum maximum power levels, which translates to potentially slower internet speeds, while a complete failure will impact on board operational continuity.

Another drawback of fixed Tx power is that the service provider must somehow compensate for these issues, which can translate to a lower service level or increased cost to the end user.

To overcome these challenges, Cobham Satcom developed an approach that focuses on software control of antennas and on commissioning. The Sailor automatic calibration capability ensures that the Tx power level is always at its maximum across the full spectrum. Power levels are controlled

dynamically, by the VSAT modem or hub, in real time.

This is based on the system’s softwarecontrolled architecture, which allows the antenna always to perform at peak power, rather than it operating on the middle-of-theroad setting chosen during calibration.

With maximum Tx performance enabled through automatic dynamic calibration, end-users can experience faster, more reliable internet when compared with the same reflector dish size on a non-softwarecontrolled antenna.

Additionally, with antennas operating constantly at peak performance, service providers can offer better services to more customers, using the same amount of satellite capacity. This efficiency can reflect in lower costs as the service provider can be more competitive in the market.

Cobham’s approach to software control also contributes to its Sailor 60 cm VSAT performing better and therefore meeting customer needs in ways they may not have expected – based on the commonlyagreed wisdom that reflector size equals performance. Most people believe they need a bigger antenna to be able to pay less for services, but that model is changing with high-throughput satellites.

Developments to improve Tx performance through software control have been driven by the changing usage patterns of connectivity in the maritime world, while heavy email and crew internet access have been primary Rx applications for a long-time.

However, the maritime industry is focused on using the power of data to improve operations. Therefore, getting data off the vessel to a cloud-based service or other company servers ashore, is essential to maintaining operational efficiency and business sustainability. In this context, the Tx capability of maritime antennas plays a major role, making Cobham’s software-based approach to maintaining peak Tx power an enabler of maritime digital transformation globally.

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OPINION | 9

MEO has space for long-term satellite deployment New satellite constellations in low and medium Earth orbits will change maritime VSAT for the better by giving service providers more options for shipowners. There will also be greater integration of communications through existing 4G and new generation 5G cellular networks that will be extended further away from coastlines.

ITC Global vice president for global engineering Sanjay Singam expects new satellite constellations will be launched in low Earth orbit (LEO) over the next three years with OneWeb and Telesat beginning to build their networks and LeoSat contemplating investment in one. However, future generations of satellites could be deployed in constellations in medium Earth orbit (MEO), to provide faster broadband communications to maritime in the tropical regions and eventually in higher latitudes.

“Space above Earth will become crowded in LEO and geostationary orbits,” Mr Singam said. “But at MEO levels, there is

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more space.” He explained that MEO satellites, such as the O3b constellation operated by SES, have more power than LEO satellites.

“We will see new LEO constellations and some other entrants are looking at the MEO market,” he said. “5G technology is also coming with this type of infrastructure to be built offshore because the traffic back to shore has cellular network timelines.” Tampnet already operates 3G/4G networks using oil and gas production platforms in the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico.

ITC offers shipowners a tertiary network using VSAT and L-band from geostationary satellites and Tampnet’s services where available for redundancy. It has started using spot beams on Eutelsat 172B satellite for coverage over Asia and Alaska, and on the Telesat 12 Vantage satellite for the Middle East. In AugustSeptember, ITC expects to offer spot beams in the Great Lakes, eastern Canada and Gulf of Mexico on SES-14, said Mr Singam. VSAT

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

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OPINION | 11

Rapid changes are coming to maritime communications VSAT advances and high-throughput satellites are changing how vessels communicate and which services are available to shipmanagers

M

aritime satellite communications is changing rapidly, providing shipowners with more choice of networks and enabling them to digitalise and automate marine operations. As additional highthroughput satellites (HTSs) are launched, there will be more choice in the way that VSAT service providers can build their networks.

There will be more choice of communications for owners and lower bandwidth costs, said Marlink chief executive Erik Ceuppens. HTSs offer greater capacity to the market, lowering the costs-per-bit of satellite communications. But as these volumes increase, so does its usage. “More capacity means our customers can digitalise their operations,” he said.

Mr Ceuppens told Marine Electronics & Communications that competition between satellite operators means service providers can build their networks with different types of satellite coverage including widebeams and spot beams, while using different bands, such as Ku and Ka bands, with C-band and L-band for redundancy. “It is a dynamic environment that creates more competition tension as satellite operators want to fill their capacity,” he said.

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In the longer term, these operators are considering different technologies such as medium-Earth-orbit (MEO) or low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites, which offer lower latency (for example, the delay encountered in voice services), than with geostationary satellites. “It is where the industry is heading and we will include those capabilities into our portfolio as we build an integrated service offering,” said Mr Ceuppens.

Marlink president of maritime Tore Morten Olsen expects ships could have up to five different types of connectivity in the future.

This would involve multiband communications from geostationary, MEO and LEO satellites combined with mobile networks such as 4G/5G and expanded wifi. “Connectivity puts ships at the heart of businesses,” he said.

This would enable vessel owners to improve efficiency and integrate services. They could use networks with low latency for voice services and least-cost routeing for data transmissions.

Mr Olsen expects more data will be transmitted from ship bridge systems, such as voyage data recorders, for analysis ashore by fleet managers. Data could also be used by equipment suppliers, such as Furuno

Erik Ceuppens explained Marlink’s growth in 2017 at a London conference in February 2018

Electric and Japan Radio Co, for improving system design, while this connectivity could be used for remote software management.

“We are focused on developing smart connectivity solutions with our customers,” Mr Olsen said. He anticipates there will be more remote monitoring and management of onboard IT networks using VSAT because it is costly to send engineers out to ships to update software and fix computer issues.

“Shipowners want onboard IT to work and if it is broken, they want someone to fix it,” he said, adding that Marlink’s Palantir team is able to do this remotely and has contracts to do so for around 1,000 different vessels.

“Customers can then focus on optimising their operations and bringing more profitability back to their services,” he added.

Changes in ship regulations are also driving shipowners to invest in better vessel connectivity. There are more pressures from regulators, such as IMO and the European

Union, to record and report ship emissions data and to keep electronic charts updated.

Crew roles changing

Crew welfare is also driving VSAT demand. This is because seafarers are increasingly choosing which shipping companies to work for depending on access to online services from ships. “Young seafarers do not accept not being connected to the world,” said Mr Olsen. “It is about providing entertainment and remaining in touch with family through social media.”

VSAT is also a conduit for transferring e-learning courses to ships, enabling vessel operators to provide training and practical advice to seafarers at sea. VSAT can also be used for video services, such as telemedicine that allow seafarers to speak remotely to medical experts in an emergency.

However, technology is changing the way ships are operated and the skills that seafarers will need, said Mr Olsen. Greater levels of

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

12 | OPINION

connectivity and bandwidth mean ship operators can automate more onboard services. “The role of seafarers will be different in 10 years,” said Mr Olsen. “It will not be to direct ships from A to B; it will be to ensure ships are compliant and well maintained.” He expects there will be fewer seafarers on ships and that those still on board will need better IT-skills.

On the technology side, Mr Olsen expects flat panel antennas will be deployed on superyachts replacing omnidirectional antennas. This is because owners want more flexibility in the technology available for communications and entertainment. However, he does not expect flat panel antennas will be developed for commercial shipping.

2017: A year of acquisitions

After a year of acquisitions and transition, Marlink is looking ahead to a year of organic growth, according to chief

Snapshot CV Tore Morten Olsen Tore Morten Olsen has almost 20 years of experience in satellite communications and providing maritime services. He joined Telenor as chief executive of its Slovakia operations in 1999. After five years there, he was promoted to executive vice president for Telenor’s Sealink operations. Then in 2008, he became president of Marlink with responsibility of running the maritime operations of the group.

executive Erik Ceuppens.

This satellite communications and bridge systems group was

Ushering in a new era of digitalisation Shipowners say technology-agnostic connectivity will give their fleets better remote monitoring and crew welfare benefits Digitalisation of shipping is driving demand for VSAT, but vessel owners are increasingly looking for hybrid services that can incorporate other communications technology.

There are increasing numbers of ships leaving shipyards with networks of sensors and greater levels of automation than before, which generate more information transmissions between ships and shore.

NSSLGlobal chief executive Sally-Anne Ray believes this means shipowners are gaining a greater understanding of VSAT benefits.

“Robust connectivity is now a vital anchor determining the extent to which maritime companies can reap the data management, safety, efficiency and crew welfare benefits of digitalisation,” she told Marine Electronics & Communications.

Given this context, she expects VSAT adoption will increase and that onboard IT and remote monitoring modules will be seen as mission-critical systems because fleet managers want to integrate ship systems with centralised corporate IT networks.

Ms Ray said this integration is leading to “new standards being set for crew welfare and business productivity.” This is due to seafarers being able to use VSAT to: • Improve contact with headquarters.

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

repurchased by Apax Partners from Airbus group in 2016. Marlink was merged with Telemar in 2016 and then in 2017 went on to acquire IT partner Palantir, the VSAT business of Radio Holland, then superyacht communications specialists OmniAccess and Livewire Connections.

“We made major steps of becoming a leader in business solutions, communications, IT and services,” said Mr Ceuppens. He told Marine Electronics & Communications that these mergers and acquisitions accelerate the company into a strong position but should only complement the group’s organic growth.

At the end of 2017, Marlink had accumulated a base of more than 5,000 VSAT installations and was able to generate annual revenue of around US$500M, of which about 80% was from maritime business. The other 20% of its income comes from terrestrial satellite communications.

“Because of our Ku-band network we have delivered a significant number of new installations [and] doubled our installed VSAT base in two years.” Its combination with Telemar and ongoing work with Radio Holland means Marlink has the engineering base to support more than these 5,000 VSAT installations.

These deals also pushed it into bridge electronics delivery and servicing since the Palantir acquisition provides Marlink with remote IT monitoring and network management technology.

Mr Ceuppens said Palantir manages IT networks on around 1,000 ships, some of these through another provider’s VSAT services.

Marlink operates a global network of terrestrial interconnect services and teleports including eight in North America, nine in Western Europe, two in Australia, one in Japan and another in South Korea.

• Share business and operational data with vendors.

• Order supplies.

• Share information with port authorities.

• Speed-up reporting.

Maritime VSAT adoption is coming to the point that “fleet managers that continue to ignore VSAT will find themselves at a real competitive disadvantage” said Ms Ray. Bandwidth gaps between vessels with VSAT and those only using L-band for satellite communications will widen as additional high-throughput satellites are launched, which will deliver even better services, coverage and bandwidth.

Another trend that Ms Ray highlighted was the merging of satellite and wireless mobile network connectivity in one hybrid platform. This would include VSAT, L-band, 4G/5G cellular networks and wifi in port and coastal areas.

“Within the next decade, satellite communications businesses will increasingly offer connectivity-anywhere, without regard for the specific connectivity technology being used,” she said, adding that shipping companies will be looking for connectivity in all situations and locations.

NSSLGlobal offers such a connection-agnostic service in its FusionIP unified communications platform, which automatically switches between satellite broadband and 4G/3G networks to achieve optimum data speeds. NSSLGlobal also offers a cellular marine service that enables seafarers to transfer from satellite to 3G and 4G mobile connectivity. VSAT

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OPERATOR FEEDBACK | 15

TANKER OWNERS GAIN FROM VSAT BENEFITS EURONAV, DE POLI TANKERS AND KNUTSEN OAS SHIPPING ARE USING VSAT TO IMPROVE SHIP OPERATIONS AND CREW WELFARE SERVICES

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anker owners and their crews benefit from VSAT connectivity for operational and welfare requirements.

Some of the major tanker operators were early adopters of VSAT and continue to upgrade their ship satellite communications as the technology advances.

Euronav was one such early-adopter. It has improved operational communications and crew internet access on its tankers by deploying Satcom Global’s Aura VSAT. This was a “big step forward for our crew offering,” said Euronav group IT manager Rudi Vander Eyken.

“We have 22 crew on our ships and connectivity is one of the most important services for them,” he said. “With service quality guaranteed, we know our crew enjoy an excellent user experience at no detriment to the connectivity required for the operational demands of our vessels.”

Euronav gets satellite communications uptime of 99.5% within the VSAT coverage. Aura VSAT includes Ku-band connectivity, Intellian antennas and Satcom Global’s IPSignature 4 multifunction smartbox, which separates crew from operational communications.

This means Euronav’s crew can use their own smartphones, tablets and laptops without affecting operational communications, said Mr Eyken. “Aura VSAT adds value as it is available and global, so we can have internet on any place on Earth,” he said.

One of Euronav’s tanker masters explained how VSAT improves crew welfare in a video blog. Captain on Ardeche Frederik Caris said

Satcom Global Aura VSAT provides Ku-band connectivity to Euronav tankers

www.marinemec.com

on video* that with internet connectivity “everything is becoming much better and everyone has almost daily contact with shoreside, which makes life more bearable than it was before.”

For example, crew get internet access every day during crossPacific voyages between the US, Panama and China. This helped Capt Caris when he had a family health issue to deal with. “I was just on board for 14 days, when I got a message from home that my wife was very sick and had to be hospitalised,” he explained.

“At that moment you do not want to try 10 times to make a connection. You want an internet connection on the spot, so that you can get the information that you need,” he said.

He also highlighted the importance of VSAT to tanker operations as there is “good internet communications so I can connect to the office, charterers, load ports and discharge ports.

Therefore, all the business we have to do goes in a smooth way and there is less stress.”

For Dutch shipowner De Poli Tankers, VSAT enables more efficient and reliable operations and crew communications. It operates a fleet of eight chemical tankers and two gas tankers.

Satellite communications on these ships is managed by De Poli Tankers’ inhouse ITC company, Maritime Performances, and provided by Marlink’s Sealink Plus service.

This includes Ku-band VSAT 1 m diameter antennas and L-band as a back-up. It also involves Marlink’s XChange centralised IT and communications management unit and SkyFile Mail and Enoad, which provides a way to enable users to comply with the latest US Coast Guard regulations, including arrival and departure forms and electronic reporting.

VSAT and unlimited L-band backup are vital for operational communications on these tankers, said Maritime Performances’ IT specialist Ardi van der Wagt. VSAT is “vital to supporting operations across the fleet as we focus on delivering optimisation through digital processes,” he said.

For shuttle tanker and gas carrier operator Knutsen OAS Shipping, VSAT is enabling higher levels of business digitalisation. Its communication and navigation manager Nils Trones said VSAT was standardised across the fleet and generates operational benefits.

“We continue to see new applications and demands with the ongoing digitalisation happening within the maritime markets,” he said. “Which means we need a future-proof solution to enable our own digitalisation strategies.” Knutsen is using Marlink VSAT and digital services to “help us to maximise our investment in communications.” VSAT *Watch the Euronav video at https://vimeo.com/253939624

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

16 | OPERATOR FEEDBACK

Carnival smashes maritime bandwidth record Ground-breaking VSAT technology including tri-band antennas helped Carnival drive VSAT to Gbps levels with its MedallionNet connectivity

Engineers installed three tri-band VSAT antennas on Regal Princess

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

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arnival Corp has taken VSAT to new levels of connectivity for passengers on its cruise ships and broken the bandwidth-atsea world record using its MedallionNet connectivity service on Princess Cruises’ Regal Princess.

Connectivity over the satellite link reached 2.25 Gbps during a specific media-driven event at the end of February, said Carnival Corp chief experience and innovation officer John Padgett. This demolished the existing record that was set in December 2017 when MSC Cruises’ newbuild MSC Seaside reached just over 500 Mbps using an Intelsat EpicNG satellite (MEC Q1 2018).

This new record was achieved while the ship was anchored off Princess Cays in the outer Bahamas. “We have pushed the VSAT to its limits to demonstrate that there are no practical limits to creating great connectivity,” Mr Padgett told Marine Electronics & Communications.

Bandwidth was made available to guests for streaming images and video over satellite uplinks and downlinks. MedallionNet uses connectivity from SES Networks’ constellation of geostationary and O3B medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites to provide a pool of bandwidth. “Our 2.25 Gbps is far in excess of what guests actually need on a daily basis at present,” he said, adding that this pilot test demonstrated what could be achieved to cover future requirements “We have enough bandwidth for years of advances in connectivity,” he said.

When Carnival is not testing the boundaries of connectivity, Bermudaflagged, 2014-built Regal Princess is provided with around 50 Mbps in “a mutual fund of bandwidth”. This is compared with a cruise industry average that is around 10-20 Mbps per ship.

To achieve this, Carnival worked with SES Networks to minimise any changes in available bandwidth and connectivity experience when ships move out of the O3B satellite Ka-band coverage, which stretches between the tropics. When this happens,

John Padgett: “We have enough bandwidth for years of advances in connectivity”

connectivity goes seamlessly on to the geostationary satellite coverage of C-band and Ku-band.

Carnival uses the positive elements of geostationary satellite coverage that includes resilience to different weather patterns and reliability of coverage with the higher bandwidth and lower latency from MEO satellites.

“We always give guests the best experience possible even when outside MEO coverage as we work to eliminate barriers that prevent people going on cruises,” said Mr Padgett.

“It is part of improving the vacation experience to provide land-based connectivity.

Passengers can use Facetime, watch Netflix and run their own business from our ships with 24/7 video conferencing.”

Carnival evolved VSAT hardware and ship networks using “ground-breaking technology” as it developed MedallionNet, working with Intellian Technologies on installing the

www.marinemec.com

OPERATOR FEEDBACK | 17

world’s first tri-band antennas. There are three of these on board Regal Princess to receive and transmit using C-band and Ku-band for the geostationary constellation and Ka-band to the O3B satellites.

There is a dedicated wifi network for passengers and a separate one for crew and ship operational requirements. “We distribute the bandwidth through a hybrid fibre Ethernet around the ship and distributed access points for every guest in high density formats,” Mr Padgett explained.

“Ships historically have access points only in public areas and hallways. We decided that we wanted wifi access points in all 4,000 staterooms so there is complete access around the ship.” There are high-throughput modems and routers for managing connectivity and wifi for mobile access. For other services, Speedcast supports the ship’s administration and media content is from Global Eagle.

More innovations are coming as Carnival is deploying “embedded wifi access points in television displays that enable more efficiency in distributing signals,” said Mr Padgett.

REGAL PRINCESS Operator Built Tonnage Guest capacity Crew Registry Length Decks Service speed

Princess Cruises Italy, 2014 141,000 gt 3,560 1,346 Bermuda 330 m 19 22 knots

Currently, MedallionNet is available on Medallion-class ships, although only Regal Princess has been tested to Gbps bandwidth limits. There are also plans to deploy MedallionNet on other ships in the Princess Cruises’ fleet, which includes three on order and 17 existing vessels. “We can rewire ships in the confines of a standard drydocking period so MedallionNet does not have to be fitted just on a newbuilding,” he said. “We can retrofit ships to this level in 12 days.”

Existing ships in the Carnival fleet have communications networks with wifi access points in public areas and wifi coverage.

Wifi access in staterooms depends on the distance from the hallway wifi access point and whether passengers have the door open, said Mr Padgett. These ships have dualband antennas for C-band and Ku-band coverage from geostationary satellites.

“We have prepared a couple more vessels in the Princess fleet and plan to share the learning and capability with other Carnival brands,” said Mr Padgett.

“Each brand and operating company can then plan this investment.”

Carnival is involved in other connectivity innovations. Princess Cruises is starting to deploy a service called Ocean Medallion on its ships, which provides guests with information linked to their location on board. It tracks a medallion that is about 25 mm in diameter and carried by each passenger. These gather information about the wearer’s preferences and are updated multiple times per minute, which enables the ship’s IT infrastructure to present each guest with relevant options.

There is a third key component to the technology: Ocean Compass. This enables the guest to access cruise planning and

concierge information, either via their own personal device, from their cabin’s TV or through one of the interactive screens that are located throughout the cruise ship.

In another innovation, Carnival introduced OceanView TV streaming in September 2017. This is available to download on Apple and Amazon devices and Mr Padgett said this includes “original content that can be downloaded anywhere and is a new level of connectivity experience.”

ROYAL CARIBBEAN EXPANDS VSAT CONNECTIVITY

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines uses Speedcast for VSAT connectivity on 37 ships in its fleet. In February this year, it extended this relationship with more bandwidth for shipboard administration, passenger connectivity and crew usage.These ships have multiple VSAT antennas on each ship with seamless automatic failover between Ku-band and C-band, which ensures there is high availability as required under service-level agreements.

Royal Caribbean director for network and satellite engineering Guillermo Muniz said Speedcast was an integral part of the company’s “long-standing efforts to implement the latest connectivity solutions that allow us to provide enhanced communications to everyone.” He said there is collaboration between the two companies to further increase bandwidth on Royal Caribbean cruise ships.

“We are consistently raising the bar on ship innovation and increasing requirements,” he said. “We collaborate to make sure that we have the infrastructure and support to deliver the best experience to guests.” VSAT

CARNIVAL MEDALLIONNET Wifi access points Connectivity

Bandwidth Satellite Antennas Bands Network Infotainment

www.marinemec.com

All staterooms Split between passengers and crew Apex of 2.25 Gbps SES Networks MEO and GEO 3x Intellian Tri-band Ku, C and Ka Hybrid ethernet fibre Ocean Medallion

Regal Princess was upgraded in Hamburg, Germany in 2017

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

18 | OPERATOR FEEDBACK

Dry cargo shipowners deploy VSAT Campbell Shipping, ER Schiffahrt and SM Lines are upgrading container ship and bulk carrier satellite communications for operational and crew welfare benefits

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wners of dry cargo ships, including container liners, are focused on improving social communications for their crews using VSAT, creating a number of new contracts for VSAT service and coverage providers.

Some shipowning companies have commented on this trend, providng insights into their choices. Mumbai-headquartered Campbell Shipping, which describes itself as “employee-focused [and] client-driven”, chose to upgrade communications across its fleet of 12 bulk carriers by installing Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress (FX) on each vessel.

This will involve replacing the Ku-band VSAT that they currently use on Inmarsat’s XpressLink service with Ka-band hardware.

Crew on these ships will see improvements in online access and connectivity to shore, said Campbell Shipping vice president for human capital Anindya Dasgupta. “Reliable connectivity is crucial,” he said. “Faster onboard internet and low-cost calling options will result in improved morale, contributing to productivity and the retention of talent.”

There will also be operational benefits for Campbell Shipping in terms of more bandwidth for transferring onboard data. “We expect the additional bandwidth provided by FX will facilitate closer monitoring of day-to-day vessel operation,” said Capt Dasgupta, “which, over the longer term, will lead to gains in operational efficiency and cost savings.”

By migrating to Ka-band VSAT, Campbell Shipping will benefit from faster connections to the internet. “VSAT will enable us to accelerate improvements in other areas of vessel IT infrastructure,” Capt Dasgupta explained, “allowing more activities and functions to be supported and carried out on board.” This includes managing onboard IT infrastructure and its own management system, Campbell Target Operating Model.

Shipmanager ER Schiffahrt chose KVH Industries to upgrade satellite communications on a fleet of 60 container

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

CS Jenna is one of Campbell Shipping's 12 bulk carriers that will have VSAT

ships and dry bulk carriers. Part of the reason for this was access to highthroughput satellites (HTSs) when ships are under the Ku-band spot beams.

Upgrading these ships to VSAT involves installing KVH’s advanced 60 cm TracPhone V7-HTS antenna and associated below-deck equipment. ER Schiffahrt will then subscribe to KVH’s AgilePlans connectivity-as-a-service package for these ships.

Installing the hardware started in January this year on 11 ships and the other 49 will be connected during this year. ER Schiffahrt director of marine and quality Christoph Werner said the reasons to deploy KVH’s VSAT were its “fast data speed, reliable data

“VSAT will enable us to accelerate improvements in other areas of vessel IT infrastructure”

management and global coverage.”

He also said that the flexibility of KVH’s AgilePlans programme would be “a great benefit to our business”. TracPhone V7HTS should provide each ship managed

by ER Schiffahrt download speeds of up to 10 Mbps and upload speeds of 3 Mbps.

Container ship operator SM Line has installed Intellian Technologies’ V100 antennas on a fleet of 21 vessels to enable freight monitoring and improve crew welfare. It has become the first South Korean container shipping company to have the ability to monitor and track the condition of items in a container in real time.

This was especially important for its reefer containers as SM Line’s customers are now able to monitor the temperature and humidity of a container and track it throughout its supply chain, both on shore and on board.

SM Line gained “a comprehensive and connected smart solution that was tailored to our needs” from Intellian, it said in a statement in January. V100 VSAT provides “access to the data we need to deliver services based upon detailed and comprehensive intelligence”, the ship operator added. SM Line operates container liner services within Asia and across the Pacific Ocean between Asia and North America. VSAT

www.marinemec.com

Telenor satellite JUE-60KA

Partnering with

• Light-weight 65cm KA-band VSAT system • Telenor satellite KA-band type approved • The unique monocoque structure with low center of gravity and damper free design ensures the most stable and durable communication under the harsh conditions of the North Sea

www.jrc.am/telenor

ANTENNAS | 21

FASTER VSAT INSTALLATION DRIVES FLEET DIGITALISATION COBHAM SATCOM HAS DESIGNED ITS ANTENNAS TO BE DEPLOYED ON SHIPS WITHOUT NEEDING A CRANE AND FOR SWIFT CONFIGURATION WITH VESSEL NETWORKS

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SAT service providers and integrators are challenged by the growing demand levels that come from global fleets adopting enterprise-grade communications at a record pace.

Because of this, increasing the speed and efficiency of an antenna installation is a key factor in a VSAT project.

Cobham Satcom director of maritime product management Matt Galston thinks shipowners and service providers want lightweight and compact antennas that can link with high-throughput satellite networks. Examples of these are Cobham’s Sailor 60 VSAT range for Kuband and Ka-band.

“Technology developments, such as the single cable solution and the highly automated approach to onboard system calibration and commissioning have had a significant impact on overall installation time,” Mr Galston told Marine Electronics & Communications. “VSAT service providers and their engineers have used these features to execute large fleet upgrade projects in record time.”

There are around 27,000 vessels worldwide carrying VSAT antennas for C-, Ku-, or Ka-band. In comparison, there are more than 60,000 ships with smaller L-band communications, such as Inmarsat’s FleetBroadband. This indicates the scale of installations to come, even if only a fraction of these ships adopt VSAT. Mr Galston said that “2,000-3,000 vessels around the world have signed agreements to receive new VSAT solutions, but have to wait.” He thinks the reason for the backlog is that there are not enough engineers and “simply not enough hours in the day” to work through them. Other reasons are the complexity of installation, costs of services and equipment.

“Implementing a VSAT solution takes

www.marinemec.com

longer than installing FleetBroadband,” he explained that it only takes a SIM card to activate a FleetBroadband “but, with VSAT, the process is more involved.”

VSAT antennas are larger than FleetBroadband terminals, requiring installers to hire a crane for typical 1 m diameter systems. That is why Cobham designed its Sailor 60GX, 600Ku and 600Ka to be installed without the need for a crane. Its small size and light weight contribute to this improvement but size is not the only installation challenge, he commented.

Incorporating a new VSAT into the network requires co-ordination between the onboard technician and the service provider’s network operations centre.

“Careful integration between VSAT and back-up platforms can also be complex,” said Mr Galston. “There is simply more to vessel connectivity than there used to be.”

Technical enhancements and improving execution processes will have an impact on installation complexity.

Major satellite service providers are collaborating with system manufacturers.

For instance, Inmarsat has partnered with Cobham to standardise Fleet Xpress (Ka-band) hardware packages and define pre-installation on-air testing standards.

Inmarsat has also assumed responsibility for co-ordination, delivery and execution of onboard installation across global fleets. “Other major service providers are heading in a similar direction,” said Mr Galston.

Cobham provides quick installation through its global network of factorycertified partners. “By standardising on complete, preconfigured above- and below-deck hardware packages, we are succeeding in making Fleet Xpress as simple as FleetBroadband,” he said.

“From an end-customer perspective, the solution arrives on time, installs quickly

and has little to no impact on vessel turnaround time.”

When installation is standardised and simplified, shipowners can use VSAT hardware to rollout digital transformations across their fleets.

“Securing fleet-wide, fixed-price, always-on connectivity is essential for the maritime industry to evolve,” said Mr Galston. “That means VSAT adoption is ultimately a business requirement.”

On average it has taken 24 months for a fleet of 150-200 ships to be fully updated to VSAT. “Condensing that rollout phase into as little as two or three fiscal quarters enhances the business case for investment,” he explained.

Reducing installation time will help shipping companies along “the path to realising the operational, commercial and financial benefits of digital transformation faster than ever before.” VSAT

Cobham Satcom developed Sailor 100GX antenna for Ka-band Fleet Xpress

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

22 | ANTENNAS

INTELLIAN AND COBHAM UNVEIL RIVAL TRI-BAND ANTENNAS MANUFACTURERS HAVE INTRODUCED TRI-BAND ANTENNAS AS NEW SATELLITE CONSTELLATIONS ARE LAUNCHED AND CRUISE SHIP OPERATORS PROVIDE HIGHER BANDWIDTH TO PASSENGERS

Sea Tel 9711 Triband has Ka-band radio frequency components from Viasat

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

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ntellian Technologies and Cobham Satcom have developed tri-band VSAT antenna technology for cruise ships. These enable ships to communicate using two K-bands and the global coverage from C-band without needing any crew intervention to adjust the antenna.

It has become increasingly important for antenna manufacturers to develop terminals that can use C-band and either Ku-band or Kaband as new satellites are commissioned to provide these services to ships in various elliptical orbits.

Shipowners do not want multiple VSAT units on decks that are already crowded just because they need separate ones for individual radio frequency bands so they requested manufacturers to develop dual-band or even tri-band antennas that can automatically use all VSAT bands available.

Dual-band antennas that connect to C-band and Kuband have been available from Intellian, Cobham and KVH for a number of years. These automatically switch between two bands of radio frequency.

Intellian introduced its 2.4 m v240MT antenna, which is frequency-agnostic and satellite orbit-agnostic in February 2018. This connects with C-band and Ku-band services from geostationary satellites and Ka-band from

SES’ O3b medium Earth orbit (MEO) constellation.

First applications of v240MT are on Carnival Corp cruise ships to enhance the onboard connectivity experience for passengers. The first v240MT antennas were installed on Carnival’s and Princess Cruise’s Princess Regal during a ship upgrade in 2017.

As part of its tri-band technology, Intellian also developed an intelligent mediator that ensures the antenna can automatically switch between bands and satellite orbits without the need for crew to touch the antenna.

Intellian chief executive Eric Sung said v240MT antennas and these mediators were designed to deliver data transmission rates over satellite of more than 1 Gbps, which “represents a step-change in driving the highest standards in cruise ship connectivity,” he said. “We are continually looking to redefine the meaning of intelligent satellite solutions and what these technologies are truly capable of achieving.”

Antennas are connected to the mediators and onboard terminal equipment using fibre optic lines, which means there is no signal loss, which can occur with extensive coax cable runs found on other large cruise ships. Another advantage is that fibre optic networks are easier to retrofit than the heavier coax cables.

www.marinemec.com

ANTENNAS | 23

TRI-BAND CO-OPERATION

Cobham worked with satellite owner Viasat to develop its Sea Tel 9711 Triband maritime antenna. This is a 2.4 m unit that performs across any C-, Ku-, or Kaband network. Sea Tel 9711 Triband, which was revealed in March, is based on Cobham’s existing Sea Tel 9711 C/Ku integrated maritime antenna (IMA) model, of which there are around 1,000 units in operation, but with the added Ka-band capability.

Cobham said the tri-band model delivers the same automatic switching and radio performance as the dualband version. It will enable broadband transmission speeds up to 1 Gbps.

Viasat provided the radio frequency devices on the antenna for compatibility across any Ka-band satellite network. This means the tri-band version has seamless, automated electronic

“We are continually looking to redefine the meaning of intelligent satellite solutions and what these technologies are truly capable of achieving”

switching between the three bands of frequency without any crew intervention.

Sea Tel 9711 Triband features the latest 3.0 version of the proprietary Sea Tel IMA architecture, which includes an integrated electronic control unit to maintain pointing accuracy.

Cobham made a number of incremental enhancements in

version 3.0 that enables the antenna to track new satellite constellations automatically as they come online in the next three to five years.

Automatic band and satellite beam switching is managed by a modem arbitrator that is mounted in a rack below deck. This arbitrator can integrate three separate modems to support different frequencies across various satellite networks.

Cobham said more modems can be added by expanding the modem arbitrator for greater redundancy in connectivity.

Viasat vice president for global mobility Doug Abts said the Ka-band components in the Sea Tel 9711 Triband means ships with a Viasat modem can access highcapacity satellites that include ViaSat-2, Ka-Sat and ViaSat-3. Cobham is able to upgrade Sea Tel 9711 IMA C/Ku systems to full tri-band capabilities, which means

shipowners that already have these on board do not need to order new units to add Kaband capabilities.

DUAL-BAND ORBIT

Orbit Communications Systems introduced its multiband OceanTRx7 C/Ka and Ku/Ka stabilised maritime antennas this January after testing them on naval ships in 2017. They are 2.2 m dualband terminals and can access Ka-band coverage from MEO satellites and automatically switch to back-up geostationary satellites in the case of rain attenuation on the Ka signal.

This back-up can be C-band or Ku-band depending on the antenna’s configuration.

Orbit said this antenna takes up 40% less deck space and can be 30% lighter than traditional C-band antennas of 2.4 m to 3.8 m diameter. It can be shipped as a fully-assembled and tested unit in a standard 20-ft container.

KNS unveils mobile and integrated VSAT South Korean antenna manufacturer KNS has introduced an integrated and portable VSAT unit for maritime applications. Its all-in-one model, Z8 MK3 Allinone, includes a Ku-band antenna, modem and control unit within the radome. This contrasts with conventional VSAT, which has a fixed antenna on deck and all of the other components in a below-deck rack.

KNS marketing manager Raphael Park said the Z8 MK3 Allinone is based on KNS's SuperTrack Z-Series MK3 body structure and the antenna has an 83 cm diameter reflector. There are only two cable connections for power and the ship's own communications network, he told Marine Electronics & Communications.

Z8 MK3 Allinone was designed for easy maintenance as service engineers “simply uncover the radome to inspect all compartments of the system,” said Mr Park. There is also a hatch below the VSAT unit for access.

“Our system is supported on a tripod with lifting magnets for stability when the position is set and for moving easily when users want to seek different positions,” he added. This may be required on vessels where there is limited exterior and interior space and where crew may need to move the antenna to a new location.

Hyundai Heavy Industries started trialling Z8 MK3 Allinone VSAT on its newbuildings in January. “Our system is being used to establish communications networks during the final tests of these newbuild ships,” said Mr Park. The next step will be sea trials on these newbuildings.

Because this unit is portable, it could be used for testing radio frequency performance around a ship during final commissioning phases to identify an optimum position for the antenna. Mr Park expects Z8 MK3 Allinone would be suitable for commercial cargo ships, offshore drilling rigs, fishing vessels and passenger ships. VSAT

www.marinemec.com

Z8 MK3 Allinone includes a Ku-band antenna, modem and control unit within the radome

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

24 | ANTENNAS

FLAT PANELS COULD REPLACE CONVENTIONAL ANTENNAS PHASOR IS PLANNING TO TEST FLAT PANEL ANTENNAS ON VESSELS AND KYMETA HAS ALREADY SUCCESSFULLY TESTED ITS TECHNOLOGY OVER INTELSAT’S SATELLITES

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lat-panel and electronically-steered antennas will have an impact on marine VSAT when the technology can be fully proven. There are two main developers of these technologies, which are radically different from conventional mechanically-steered, parabolic-dish antennas.

Phasor and Kymeta Corp both appear to be close to developing their flat panel antenna technology commercially. Phasor secured US$16M of finance from banks to test its electronically steered antenna (ESA) on vessels in maritime conditions, said chief executive Dave Helfgott. Phasor intends to release the first maritime ESA products if these field tests are successful.

“Our mission is to empower mobile broadband access across all commercial-use cases and markets and we are on track for releasing our commercial products,” Mr Helfgott told Marine Electronics & Communications.

One of the drivers to developing flat panel antennas is the expectation that new constellations of non-geostationary satellites will be launched by companies such as OneWeb, LeoSat and Telesat.

These will enable ESAs to continue satellite links for broadband connectivity across oceans.

Mr Helfgott said mobile broadband connectivity “is poised to take off as a second wave of wideband non-geostationary satellite constellations come online.” These will improve latency, global coverage and the user-economics of mobile connectivity, he said.

Phasor ESAs will be able to communicate with any kind of satellite system, whether it is geostationary, medium Earth orbit or low Earth orbit. “They will be interoperable between them from a single aperture,”

explained Mr Helfgott. “This is currently impossible with mechanicallysteered satellite communications antennas” unless they have multi-band capabilities with two radio frequency feeds, or apertures.

“Phasor antennas will be available in multiple iterations and frequency bands but are all designed around the same core technology,” Mr Helfgott said. “There are some customers that want receive-only and some who have requested transmit-only,” he said.

“There are many more that want a fully duplex [receive and transmit] ESA system.”

Testing will involve Version One of the ESA products. However, Phasor is already considering Version Two of these products, which Mr Helfgott said would “demonstrate even more functionality.” He is expecting more development, testing and commercial milestones to be reached in 2018.

Kymeta started field testing its KyWay marine terminals on workboats used by the US Government in December 2017. This uses Kymeta Kalo internet services, which can deliver up to 4 Mbps of bandwidth using the IntelsatOne Flex network. Trials last year involved vessels operating in US inland waterways and then out to around 100 miles offshore, where antennas could be tested in varying sea states and weather conditions.

In September 2017, KyWay terminals were successfully tested on the 89 m sailing yacht Maltese Falcon using Kalo connectivity and distribution partner e3 Systems. This vessel used capacity on Intelsat’s satellites IS-29e in the Caribbean, IS-32e in the Atlantic and IS-905 in Europe. The crew of the Maltese Falcon worked with Kymeta and e3 to adapt the installed KyWay panel throughout the trial period.

Other satellite operators – Telesat, Eutelsat, SES and Hispasat – certified that KyWay terminals can connect with their spacecraft during land tests in 2017 and Q1 2018. These terminals can operate across a broad range of satellites, switching between them automatically without signal loss. Kymeta did not say whether these approvals were for antennas that would be applied to marine uses. VSAT

“Phasor antennas will be available in multiple iterations and frequency bands but are all designed around the same core technology” Phasor will test its electronically steered, flat panel antennas in maritime trials later this year

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

www.marinemec.com

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MOBILITY MEETS EFFICIENCY

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SHAPING THE FUTURE OF SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS 2018_RIVIERAMM_130x190mm.indd 1

05/04/2018 15:27

IT PLATFORMS | 27

MODEMS UNVEILED FOR HTS FUTURE MODEM TECHNOLOGY IS BEING DEVELOPED BY NEWTEC, IDIRECT AND COMTECH TO KEEP UP WITH THE CONNECTIVITY REQUIREMENTS OF HIGH-THROUGHPUT SATELLITES

M

anufacturers of belowdeck communications equipment, such as routers, modems and communications hubs for teleports, are developing new systems so that they are not restricting the bandwidth available to shipping and offshore users.

DVB-S2X standard extends VSAT capabilities

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Over the past three years, modem technology has struggled to keep up with advances in satellite connectivity, but this is changing. Additional VSAT bandwidth has become available as high-throughput satellites (HTSs) have been launched into geostationary and medium Earth orbits since 2016.

In the same period, modem technology has not advanced rapidly enough, which can restrict connectivity on ships, offshore drilling rigs, floating production facilities and passenger ships.

Throughput through HTSs to cruise ships has been tested at more than 300 Mbps and, in one test, to more than 2 Gbps. But ship operators have only been able to provide these capabilities to crew and passengers for short periods – of hours or a day – and then only by stacking multiple modems.

This is not sustainable as a costeffective solution, which is why IT platform providers, such as Newtec, Comtech

Newtec Dialog platform advantages

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

28 | IT PLATFORMS

EF Data and Vision Technologies Systems’ subsidiary VT iDirect have been developing technology for communications over HTS constellations.

DIALOG PLATFORM TESTING

Newtec has worked with Panasonic Avionics and its maritime arm ITC Global to test a new generation of modems. ITC Global vice president for global engineering Sanjay Singam told Marine Electronics & Communications that these modems will be tested in a maritime environment this year.

“We are restricted by the modem technology but with Newtec’s hub solution for maritime, this will not be the case,” he said.

Newtec’s latest modem is based on its Dialog platform that is in use on passenger ships for interaction with HTSs. This uses the latest transmission standard of digital video broadcasting over a second generation of satellites (DVB-S2X) on the forward channel to HTSs. Dialog platform uses Newtec’s own dynamic bandwidth allocation technology, Mx-DMA, which is a hybrid mode of transmitting data on the return channel to satellites. This combines the efficiencies of single channel per carrier (SCPC) and with the bandwidth allocation capabilities of time division multiple access (TDMA).

Newtec’s modems will support higher data transmission applications for vessel operations and crew welfare over VSAT, such as video streaming, voice over IP (VoIP), real-time ship monitoring, security camera streaming and high definition television.

ITC Global currently uses iDirect’s modems for its VSAT services to offshore and maritime sectors. For oil and gas production installations and drilling rigs that remain on location for months or even years, ITC Global uses SCPC protocols because of their reliability and security, said Mr Singam.

“TDMA is more important for cargo ships” because this protocol caters for vessels that move between beams and need seamless switching between satellite coverage, he explained. “We have to understand what our customers need and how data traffic works to enable ships to become an extension of company offices.”

ITC Global intends to use Dialog modems with the VSAT network that Panasonic named in February this year as a “third generation communications network”, which includes HTSs operated by Eutelsat, Intelsat, Telesat and SES. Newtec’s new modem is also being

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

tested by VSAT service provider Eurona on Mediterranean cruise ferries, such as Balearia’s Abel Matutes. It enables passengers to use wifi hotspots on these ships to access high-speed internet on their own devices for bandwidth-hungry services such as VoIP and video streaming.

Eurona was able to double the throughput to these ferries over the Kuband capacity of Hispasat’s H30W4 satellite for reliable two-way IP connectivity for passengers and crew. Nexmachina was also involved in the project by providing dedicated wifi hotspots.

MODEMS FOR HTSS

iDirect’s technology platforms and modems that use TDMA protocols are the most common deployed on ships for VSAT connectivity. The latest version of its modems is the iQ series and for teleports it is Velocity. These are optimised for use with HTSs, such as Intelsat’s EpicNG constellation and Inmarsat’s Global Xpress satellites.

In December 2017, satellite operator SES announced that iDirect Velocity would be deployed to support its HTS units – SES12, SES-14 and SES-15. Velocity has been installed across HTS gateway locations around the world. SES said it would use Velocity to support VSAT services that its own SES Networks will offer to shipping through the SES Maritime+ service.

This will enable SES to provide high bandwidth allocation and increased flexibility to its distribution partners with variable pricing options, iDirect said.

Velocity uses the DVB-S2X standard and TDMA protocol for transmissions between the teleport, satellite and ship.

The iQ modems are increasingly deployed on vessels that connect with HTS constellations. In March this year, iDirect announced it would be extending its iQ remote range with the iQ 200, iQ 800 and iQ 1000 modems. These use DVB-S2 for widebeam coverage and DVB-S2X for spot beam connectivity. iQ 200 is designed for maritime

“We have to understand how data traffic works to enable ships to become an extension of company offices”

applications, including uses on commercial ships, fishing vessels, workboats and offshore support vessels, where owners are looking to upgrade their L-band services to VSAT. It has a range of bandwidth capabilities up to 200 Mbps. iQ 800 remotes are designed for ships that require higher throughput capabilities up to 800 Mbps, such as on cruise ships and offshore production and drilling units.

This series enables wideband satellite communications with seamless satellite beam switching and iDirect said it is the first modem to support multi-VSAT provider roaming. iQ 1000 will serve the ultra high-end mobility and telecommunications markets where there are extreme throughput requirements of up to 1 Gbps, such as on cruise ships. iDirect said it intends to start delivering iQ 200 and iQ 800 this year and iQ 1000 in 2019. iDirect chief executive officer Kevin Steen said these will be “intelligent terminals that roam across networks and multi-orbit constellations.” They will enable VSAT providers to offer seamless switching between geostationary, medium and low Earth orbit satellite constellations.

EXPANDING HEIGHTS

Comtech EF Data has expanded its Heights networking platform with three new remote gateways. These include an indoor H-Plus modem and router and two outdoor versions. They enable users to use SCPC and Comtech’s own Heights communications protocols for VSAT transmissions depending on the data flow requirements.

These networking platforms combine H-DNA dynamic network access with compression engines, wide area network and waveform optimisation. Comtech said Heights enables dynamic bandwidth and power management and bi-directional adaptive coding and modulation to “provide the highest user throughput, highest availability, and most optimal resource utilisation available.”

Heights has a user interface and a traffic analytics engine that enables users to design, implement, monitor, control and optimise a VSAT network. Heights has been deployed on cruise ships and offshore drilling rigs for delivering critical VSAT links to onboard IT systems and for delivering high bandwidth passenger and crew online connectivity. It can deliver the maximum bit rate for vessel operations and welfare services. VSAT

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30 | SATELLITES

Inmarsat-5 satellites provide Ka-band for Fleet Xpress

Ka-band constellations are a future for maritime satcoms Inmarsat has ordered satellites for its fifth and sixth generation constellations to expand its Fleet Xpress connectivity services to shipping

I

nmarsat is investing in its existing and next generation of satellite constellations for maritime broadband in both Ka-band and L-band, with new units being built for 2019 and 2020 launch dates.

It has offered Fleet Xpress to shipping since 2016 for multiple online applications, operational communications and a variety of crew welfare services. It combines high bandwidth over Global Xpress

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

Ka-band on the fifth generation constellation of satellites and L-band through FleetBroadband on the fourth generation network.

These services will be expanded over the next three years as Inmarsat anticipates it will commission new satellites for Global Xpress and FleetBroadband. In 2019, Inmarsat expects to launch a Thales Alenia Space-built satellite that will augment the existing Global Xpress services.

There are already four satellites in this constellation: three were commissioned in 2015-2016 and another was brought into service in Q4 2017. Boeing’s Network & Space Systems built the I-5 F4 satellite, which increases Ka-band capacity available to ships in Europe, the Middle East and India.

In 2017, Inmarsat ordered two satellites for a sixth-generation constellation from Airbus Defence & Space. These satellites will have a dual-payload as each will

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SATELLITES | 31

support L-band and Ka-band for expanding Fleet Xpress services. The Inmarsat-6 fleet will double the Ka-band capacity of the fifth generation constellation and have more L-band capabilities than all of Inmarsat’s existing fleet.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was contracted in 2017 to launch those satellites from 2020 using its H-IIA launch vehicle.

Once commissioned, they will supplement existing coverage for broadband and safety communications. They should enable shipping to apply internet-of-things technology on vessels and introduce new applications, such as real-time remote monitoring and video streaming.

Inmarsat Maritime vice president for safety and security Peter Broadhurst told Marine Electronics & Communications that Inmarsat-6 satellites will replace those in the ageing Inmarsat-3 constellations, which are scheduled to be taken out of service from 2020. The L-band payload will be required for FleetBroadband, backup to VSAT and Fleet Xpress and growing demand for connectivity in smaller vessels that can use Inmarsat’s Fleet One service.

Inmarsat chief executive Rupert Pearce expects growing capacity on Fleet Xpress will enable shipping to catch up with other sectors in digitalisation and the adoption of the internet of things.

“Global maritime is undergoing a period of unprecedented change,” he said while opening an office in Ålesund, Norway, in November 2017. “The connected ship is a catalyst for change and an enabler of digital applications.”

He went on to say “Fleet Xpress enables application-triggered bandwidth, which will be key to converting today’s smart and connected ship into tomorrow’s smart fleet.”

SMART SHIP APPLICATIONS

Ship operators and managers benefit from the connectivity of Fleet Xpress. They will be able to adopt more applications when the next generation of satellites is commissioned. Mr Pearce explained that there were numerous opportunities and applications that are enabled on a broadband-connected ship. “Digital business models can create inter-fleet, intra-fleet and new maritime-related communities,” he explained.

Other benefits will be derived from analysing the continuous flow of data transmitted between ships and shore, such as for monitoring engine performance and

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condition of associated systems on ships.

Mr Pearce expects applications on ships, such as passage planning and weather routeing to achieve optimal sailing, to contribute to more profitable voyages.

“Bandwidth also plays a vital role in bridge procedures, whether for navigation and situational awareness or security of physical and cyber assets,” he said. “We see ourselves now as enablers of digital outcomes for our end-users.”

Inmarsat Maritime president Ronald Spithout thinks shipowners will achieve operating efficiencies, improve safety and cyber security and lower fuel consumption using applications that are enabled through Fleet Xpress. These will be delivered through network service devices that are a software component of network gateways that are already installed on ships using Fleet Xpress.

The connectivity comes through the use of 60 cm and 1 m antennas that Cobham Satcom, Intellian Technologies and Japan Radio Co have developed for Ka-band. These are linked to network service devices and iDirect modems within the below-deck equipment.

Mr Spithout said there is secondary bandwidth that application providers can buy and then offer services to vessels.

He expects engine manufacturers to be among the first to purchase bandwidth and lease it back to the shipowner to enable remote engine monitoring, analytics and diagnostics.

Shipmanagers may also want to purchase secondary bandwidth to deliver their own services, such as training applications and cloud-based management solutions. Mr Spithout

described this as “dynamic bandwidth” that vessel operators can use for shortterm bursts in demand, for example for video conferences or telemedicine.

There is a waiting list of around 10,000 ships on Inmarsat’s XpressLink services of Ku-band VSAT and FleetBroadband that want to be upgraded to Fleet Xpress.

Engineers worldwide are able to migrate about 250 of these to Fleet Xpress per month since Inmarsat increased the number of ports where installation services are available from six to 33 in 2017: 12 ports in Asia Pacific, 11 in Europe, the Middle-East and Africa and 10 ports in the Americas. The installation work will be carried out by Inmarsat-certified engineers for a fixed fee.

FLEET XPRESS FOR OSVS

Initial uptake of Fleet Xpress is from commercial shipping and fishing vessel sectors, however, it can be applied to other maritime segments. In January this year, Inmarsat adapted it for offshore support vessels (OSVs) by offering flexibility in connectivity service levels.

This was explained by Inmarsat vice president for sales in offshore energy Eric Griffin at Riviera Maritime Media’s Annual Offshore Support Journal Conference in London on 7 February.

He said Fleet Xpress needed to be flexible because the connectivity needs and data usage on board OSVs changes over time. Therefore, Inmarsat has enabled vessel owners to upgrade and downgrade service levels during a 36-month contract period. This is to match data usage when an OSV is on-hire, which can be far higher than when the vessel is undergoing downtime.

“Our flexibility means owners can move up or down one of 13 plans across the contract period to meet changes in demand,” said Mr Griffin. These plans can offer bandwidth of up to 6 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload through a 1 m diameter Ka-band antenna and Fleet Xpress. If a vessel owner wants to install an enhanced antenna, then these rates can climb to 10 Mbps for download and 5 Mbps for upload.

This is in comparison to when an OSV is off-hire when data rates can drop to as low as 128 kbps each way to maintain core operational data exchanges.

Mr Griffin explained that applications can be operated over the higher bandwidth rates “providing competitive advantages” for owners. These can include telemedicine

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32 | SATELLITES

and entertainment content for crew welfare and bandwidth for client requirements.

“Offshore projects can generate considerable volumes of data that need transmitting to shore for analysis,” he explained. “Vessels operating on construction work have many more people on board and need more bandwidth.”

These OSV plans can be used in conjunction with new hardware from terminal manufacturers that will provide dual-antenna solutions. These minimise outages caused by line-ofsight blockages, which are a common occurrence for OSVs due to their proximity to drilling rigs and because they operate in high sea states.

“If there is a failure on one terminal then this automatically fails over to a second terminal,” said Mr Griffin. An antenna

control unit will manage the service and seamlessly switch between antennas.

Dual-antenna systems are available from Cobham Satcom and Intellian.

CYBER SECURITY

Connectivity reliability on all types of vessels can be also be compromised by cyber threats. To tackle these risks, Inmarsat introduced a new unified threat management (UTM) service in September 2017.

The product, called Fleet Secure, is being offered in conjunction with Fleet Xpress after 1.5 years of development by Inmarsat and strategic partner Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel). Fleet Secure UTM uses a suite of cyber security defences developed by Singtel’s cyber security subsidiary Trustwave, including advanced

firewalls, antivirus, intrusion preventers and web filters.

This is a virtual machine that protects a vessel by inspecting all traffic flows through the onboard controller. All threat incidents are reported back to the portal so that the ship operator can be alerted to any cyber security breaches and take corrective action.

Inmarsat is offering three tiers for the subscription-based service. A gold membership includes real-time threat monitoring and analysis with immediate digital notifications of any threats and a follow-up telephone call in the case of severe security threats. Silver memberships offer a daily review and analysis of threats, while bronze status gives customers access to an online portal, where they can check their own status.

Telenor delivers Ka-band maritime connectivity Telenor provides a regional Ka-band VSAT service to maritime users over its Thor 7 satellite. It was launched into geostationary orbit from the Guiana Space Centre, in French Guiana, on an Ariane 5 launcher in April 2015. This Space Systems Loral (SSL)-manufactured satellite provides VSAT connectivity with coverage over the North, Norwegian and Barents seas, the Baltic Sea, Mediterranean and the Red Sea and the Middle East.

There is also a single spot beam for a Norwegian research base in Antarctica.

SSL included both a high-throughput Ka-band payload and one for Ku-band widebeam on Thor 7. The satellite provides regional coverage with a favourable look-angle over the main European shipping lanes and uses relatively small spot beams for commercial shipping, fishing vessels and offshore support vessels.

Services are supported by iDirect's Velocity platform that enables Telenor to offer virtual network operations and automatic and seamless hand-overs between spot beams. Bandwidth available over Thor 7 includes uplink speeds between 2 Mbps to 6 Mbps, depending on the antenna size. Telenor offers a range of fixed service packages for maritime VSAT connectivity.

Telenor operates a teleport outside Oslo, Norway for maritime VSAT over its Ku-band and Thor 7 satellites, and for broadcast services across Scandinavia. VSAT

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

Telenor operates a teleport for maritime satellite communications outside Oslo, Norway (credit: Riviera Maritime Media)

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Satellites deliver VSAT to Asian shipping Thaicom has introduced broadband connectivity to maritime markets, starting in Thailand and Japan, while Singtel already provides ship connectivity in Asia

A

sian shipowners and operators can use regional satellite platforms for maritime broadband communications. These are developed as alternatives to using connectivity platforms offered by VSAT providers and satellite operators that have global reach.

Thailand-headquartered Thaicom was the latest Asian satellite operator to introduce a platform for maritime communications when it unveiled the Nava maritime connectivity service for ship and offshore operators in February this year. This expands its existing platform, which is available for terrestrial broadband into maritime markets.

Thaicom said Nava is a high-speed broadband service

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Thaicom 8 satellite was launched by SpaceX in Q2 2016 to provide Ku-band coverage

Thaicom Satellite Fleet Satellite

Launch date Coverage

Thaicom 4 Thaicom 5 Thaicom 6 Thaicom 7 Thaicom 8

Aug 2005 May 2006 Q4 2013 Q2 2014 Q2 2016

that was designed “to connect everyone and everything at sea”. It will enable shipowners to use the connectivity to improve efficiency of vessel operations and will also connect crew and passengers to high-speed internet.

Nava was designed to

92 Ku beams India, East Asia, SE Asia, New Zealand, Australia 12x C-band Middle East to SE Asia, Indian Ocean 12x C-band SE Asia, 2 Ku-band Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia 14 C-band, Middle East-South China Sea, Australasia, 24 Ku-band, Middle East, India, SE Asia

provide high data rates similar to speeds that fibre networks deliver onshore to vessels using Ku-band and C-band coverage from Thaicom’s satellites. “With Nava, we are able to support the digital transformation at sea,” said Thaicom chief executive

Paiboon Panuwattanawong.

He said Nava was introduced for maritime markets as “part of our vision to transform the company into a leading digital platform operator and provider of digital services.”

Thaicom senior vice

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34 | SATELLITES

president for media and retail business Ekachai Phakdurong said Nava should “enable a broadband experience previously unavailable to the maritime industry.” This is because Thaicom could offer an “end-to-end service value proposition and high bit rate capability” for demanding applications. This includes 24/7 support and connectivity over a secure and resilient network.

These services are delivered by Thaicom’s broadband satellite coverage in Asia Pacific. This extends from the Middle East, over northern areas of the Indian Ocean and into southeast Asia to the western side of the Pacific and over Australasia.

Thaicom is offering

three Nava-based services.

Nava Media is for delivering media content, such as entertainment and training programs, to crew, while Nava Connect provides highspeed internet connectivity for vessel operations, crew and passengers. Nava Ship Manager offers connectivity for asset and engine monitoring and fuel consumption advice. It also provides data transmission capacity for maintenance planning to improve operational efficiency and ship productivity.

“We plan to offer Nava service in high growth markets, including Japan and Thailand, due to our strong market position there,” said Mr Phakdurong. Thaicom

plans to expand its services to other Asian countries in the future by co-operating with its business partners.

Singapore hub

Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel) already provides maritime connectivity services in Asia over its satellites.

It provides connectivity to ships with coverage on three satellites with Ku-band and extended C-band beams over the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Its coverage ranges from west Africa and across the Indian Ocean through Asian seas into the west Pacific and over Australasia.

Singtel uses this connectivity to provide ICT and crew welfare

applications to shipowners.

Ku-band and C-band coverage can also be used for mission-critical communications, control and monitoring and improving operational efficiency.

Singtel also offers Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress Ka-band service to shipping.

One of its recent contract awards involved Fleet Xpress to gas carriers operated by Hyproc Shipping, which is a subsidiary of Algerian energy giant Sonatrach. Singtel deployed Ka-band and L-band terminals on these ships and provided its own ICT services to ensure these gas carriers maintained broadband connections over satellite.

Asian VSAT services expanded with US$4.5M investment Sky Perfect JSAT Corp (SJC) will invest US$4.5M in VSAT service provider KVH as part of a strategic collaboration for maritime connectivity. SJC operates 17 satellites and provides maritime VSAT services under the OceanBB brand in Japan. This uses antenna technology KVH has developed for its own global mini-VSAT Broadband service.

This collaboration started in 2009 when KVH leased capacity

SSL built and tested new satellites for Sky Perfect JSAT

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on SJC’s satellites for Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean coverage.

SJC’s OceanBB service was then started in 2010. This partnership was expanded in November 2017 when KVH extended its VSAT coverage by leasing more satellite capacity to cover southern oceans.

In the same month, KVH introduced its high-throughput satellite (HTS) version of its 60 cm diameter antenna TracPhone V7 to boost download speeds to 10 Mbps and upload speeds to 3 Mbps on vessels.

SJC now offers TracPhone V7 HTS antennas for its OceanBB plus service. It acquired the US$4.5M in shares in preparation for the launch of OceanBB plus, said SJC president and chief executive Shinji Takada. “Our investment is based on our conviction that KVH’s superior technology, equipment and services are crucial at this time of digitalisation in the maritime industry.”

SJC acquired around 2% of KVH’s common stock in a private placement at a purchase price of US$11.95 per share, which represents a 10% premium over the average trading price during February 2018.

OceanBB service is deployed on around 300 Japaneseflagged and foreign-flagged ships owned by Japanese companies, including gas carriers, tankers and passenger ships. It provides download speeds of 2 Mbps and upload speeds of 512 kbps, in comparison to OceanBB plus that can achieve 10 Mbps downsteam and 3 Mbps upstream.

SJC will introduce new customised plans, management tools and value-added services, such as voice over IP and media content distribution. It operates 17 satellites with coverage over Japan and the rest of Asia, plus Oceania, the Middle East, the Pacific out to Hawaii and North America.

In 2019, SJC expects to add Boeing-built HTS units to its network with the launch of Horizons 3e, which is in collaboration with Intelsat, and JCSat18. VSAT

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36 | SATELLITES

AIRBUS BUILDS WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL VSAT SATELLITE

SES-12 WILL PROVIDE KU-BAND SPOT BEAMS FOR HIGH-THROUGHPUT COMMUNICATIONS FOR SHIPPING IN THE INDIAN OCEAN, SOUTH CHINA AND EAST CHINA SEAS

A

irbus Defence and Space has built what it is describing as the world's most powerful satellite for SES to expand its Asian maritime broadband capabilities. SES-12 is a new high-throughput satellite (HTS) with electric power of up to 19 kW, 76 active transponders and eight antennas.

It will be launched into a geostationary orbit location of 95° east to provide Ku-band wide beams and HTS spot beams in the Asia Pacific region. These 68 spot beams will deliver fast broadband for shipping, aircraft, cruise ships and offshore vessels in the Indian Ocean, South China and East China seas.

This satellite is based on Airbus Eurostar E3000 platform and is the third electric orbit raising version. This means it uses electric propulsion for transferring into a geostationary orbit instead of using heavy chemical-based fuel, said Airbus SES satellite programme manager Eric Rouchouse.

He explained that having electric propulsion increased the proportion of dry mass versus chemical mass from 40% to 75%, which enabled Airbus to add more payload to the satellite. SES-12 has a launch weight of 5,400 kg and a lifetime of more than 15 years.

It has two articulated arms with two thrusters on each that enable the satellite to maintain its position, or be rotated to have an optimal angle to the Earth.

SES-12 also has digital signal processors that increase its flexibility for customised bandwidth solutions, said Mr Rouchouse.

These also reduce the amount of cabling and switches. In midFebruary, Marine Electronics & Communications witnessed the satellite's radio frequency capabilities being tested in the Mistral

Mission Architecture

Satellite Purchase

SES-12 was undergoing radio frequency testing when MEC visited Airbus’ plant in Toulouse, France

room at Airbus's Toulouse assembly plant.

Mr Rouchouse said that once these tests were completed, the satellite would be loaded into a specialised container and driven to Toulouse airport. There it would be loaded on a Russian heavy-lift aircraft and taken to the launch site in Florida, USA. Both Airbus and SES expect the satellite will be launched by SpaceX on a Falcon 9 rocket in March this year.

Satellite Construction and Testing

Satellite Launch

Satellite transferred to Orbit

Satellite procurement and implementation process

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SATELLITES | 37

SES-12 mission

Once it is in operation, SES-12 will provide Ku-band spot beams to shipping on around 20 of its 68 HTS transponders, said SES senior manager for spacecraft programmes Elodie Viau. The rest will be for aviation, government and enterprise applications.

She told MEC that design work on SES-12 started in 2014 and once its architecture and orbit location were identified engineering could begin. This design and engineering phase lasted at least a year, she said, before SES contracted its communications and service modules and payload, which took another year to construct.

These were then assembled in Toulouse over another year and the whole satellite was tested. More than 1,000 people at Airbus and equipment distributors worked on SES-12 over those three years.

SES-12s mission was set by the need to replace ageing satellite NSS-6 and boost coverage in Asia Pacific by co-locating it with existing SES-8 Ms Viau explained. Its payload was designed to meet rapid increases in bandwidth demand in the region.

Quoting from a Northern Sky Research report, Ms Viau said there are growth opportunities in Asia as the number of connected vessels will double from 73,000 in 2017 to 175,000 by 2026, including commercial ships, workboats, offshore support and fishing vessels.

Global SES fleet

SES has seven other geostationary satellites that deliver broadband in Asia as part of a worldwide fleet of more than 60 satellites but rising demand for internet connectivity on passenger and commercial ships drove it to order and commission new HTS satellites. SES-12 is one of three satellites that were designed with HTS spot beams.

Because of the different complexity with these satellites, the various satellites launch dates are out of synchronisation from the satellite numbers. Thus, SES-15 entered service at the end of last year, after being launched in May 2017, while SES-14 was launched on the Ariane 5 rocket in January 2018.

SES provides Ku-band spot beams on SES-15 around the coasts of North America, said SES Networks' leader for the global maritime segment Stephen Conley. SES-14 will deliver broadband over the Atlantic Ocean, he told MEC. These satellites, along with SES-12, will be integrated into SES' existing constellation of geostationary satellites, which have wide beams of C-band and Ku-band.

SES also operates 12 medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites in the O3B constellation, which provides Ka-band HTS spot beams in the tropics. These provide Ka-band broadband to cruise ships, such as some operated by Royal Caribbean Cruises. During Q2 2018, four more of these MEO satellites are due to be commissioned after they are launched on a SpaceX rocket, said Mr Conley. Another four are due to be launched in H1 2019 on a similar rocket.

There will be good growth in Ka-band coverage from SES after 2019: it has committed to commissioning the mPower global plan with several new satellites said Mr Conley. Initially, Boeing Satellite Systems will build seven satellites that could be launched in 2021 and held in MEO. SES expects this coverage will enable it to offer Ka-band to smaller cruise ships, large container ships and tankers, offshore oil and gas production units and large yachts.

After those launches, the O3B constellation will have 30,000 shapeable and steerable beams that can be shifted and switched in real-time to align with areas of high demand. O3B mPower will provide coverage to an area of nearly 400M km2, which represents about 80% of the Earth's surface.

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Snapshot CV Elodie Viau Elodie Viau is a senior manager for spacecraft programmes at SES. She joined SES as an intern in 2008 and has climbed up the ranks in her 10-year career. After time in satellite design and engineering, finance, asset management and commercial strategy sectors of SES, Ms Viau concentrated on managing satellite construction programmes for SES at Airbus Defence and Space. She acted as deputy manager for construction and testing of Astra 1N-2F-2G- 5B and SES-6 satellites.

Ms Viau was then promoted to programme manager for SES-10 and SES-14 satellites and since 2016 for SES-12.

Her responsibilities include management of all SES satellite programmes at Airbus, from the contract negotiation up to the satellite launch activities. She leads satellite and launcher innovation projects with satellite vendors and key launcher players.

She earned a master of business administration from the Open University, a master of science from the International Space University, a master of science in satellite telecommunication from Supaero and a master of science of telecommunications from Telecom INT.

SES 12 Owner Builder Design Location Coverage area Launcher Power Transponders Antennas Launch weight Launched Design life Design started

SES Airbus Eurostar E3000 95¢ª east Asia Pacific SpaceX 19 kW 76 8 5,4000 kg Q1 2018 15 years 2014

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38 | SATELLITES

IS 29e was the first satellite launched in Intelsat’s EpicNG constellation

LEO CONSTELLATIONS PROMISE GLOBAL BROADBAND FOR SHIPPING

S

atellite operators are planning for a future in maritime broadband connectivity with high-throughput satellites (HTSs) in geostationary Earth orbit and smaller satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) for VSAT services.

Telesat is the latest operator to invest in HTS and LEO technology. It already operates a fleet of 15 geostationary satellites, which includes its first HTS, Telesat 12 Vantage. This satellite was built by Airbus Defence & Space and commissioned in 2016. It has Ku-band spot beams over the South Atlantic, eastern side of the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean, western section of the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean, the Middle East and northern European seas.

Telesat has two more Vantage-class satellites in the pipeline. Telesat president and chief executive Dan Goldberg said in a statement in February that these satellites were scheduled for launch in Q3 2018. Telesat 18 Vantage will provide widebeam Ku-band in the northern Pacific, around southeast Asia and the ocean

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Telesat and OneWeb are investing in LEO constellations, while Intelsat and Eutelsat plan more HTS launches

between Australia and New Zealand.

There will also be Ku-band spot beams over Malaysia and Indonesia.

In comparison, Telesat 19 Vantage will offer Ku-band widebeam and Ka-band spot beams over the North Atlantic and the Caribbean, plus there will be Ku-band coverage over South America and Ka-band spots over northern Canada.

Mr Goldberg said Telesat had also started testing new LEO satellites as it pushes to begin a new global broadband service by 2021. “Our LEO constellation will deliver transformative, low latency and fibre-like broadband,” he said. Telesat has agreements to use up to 4 GHz of Ka-band spectrum with this new constellation.

After a launch failure in Q4 2017, the first LEO satellite – built by Surrey Satellite Technology – was deployed into a test orbit in January on a launch vehicle operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation. Telesat also installed ground infrastructure at its teleport in Allan Park in Canada to support testing that will take place this year.

Telesat plans to have 120 LEO satellites in orbit by 2021 and is evaluating options to expand this initial configuration.

Testing using the first satellite will involve OmniAccess, which was acquired by Marlink in March 2018 and is a supplier of VSAT to superyachts and cruise ships.

Optus Satellite, which provides satellite services in Australia and New Zealand, intends to trial connectivity using its teleport in Belrose in New South Wales, Australia.

OneWeb is also building LEO satellites for a constellation that it expects to begin to launch during Q4 2018. OneWeb contracted Echostar subsidiary Hughes Network Services to manufacture the ground network to

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SATELLITES | 39

INTELSAT’S EPICNG CONSTELLATION IS-29e –Caribbean, North Atlantic Ocean, South America

EUTELSAT NEXT LAUNCHES Launch date

Eutelsat 7C

H2 2018

Mediterranean, Middle East, Africa / Ku-band

Eutelsat 5

H2 2018

Europe, Middle East / Ku-band

Eutelsat Quantum

2019

8 flexible beams / Ku-band

Africa Sat (TBN)

H2 2019

Africa spot beams / Ku-band

IS-32e – Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean IS-33e – Africa, Europe, Indian Ocean IS-35e – Atlantic Ocean, Europe IS-37e – South America, South Atlantic Ocean, Southern Ocean IS-H3e (Horizons 3e) – Asia-Pacific

support a constellation of hundreds of mini satellites. It also contracted Airbus to build the first 10 satellites in Toulouse, France, for testing in 2019.

Since 2016, OneWeb has raised around US$1.5Bn from its partners, which include Virgin Group, SoftBank, Bharti Group, Qualcomm and Airbus. It is building a satellite manufacturing factory in Florida that is scheduled to open in 2020.

Epic broadband

Intelsat plans to integrate the OneWeb constellation coverage with Ku-band coverage from its own constellation of geostationary satellites for maritime and other markets. It has also been building an HTS constellation, EpicNG, with coverage over the Atlantic Ocean, European seas, Middle East and Indian Ocean. Intelsat has already commissioned five HTS in this constellation and is working on another to cover the Asia-Pacific region.

It is working in collaboration with Sky Perfect JSAT on Horizons 3e, which is expected to be launched in Q1 2019 to provide spot beam coverage over the Pacific, East China Sea, South China Sea and Malacca Strait.

EpicNG has a mixture of Ku-band and C-band spot beams that provide high levels of bandwidth to commercial shipping, cruise ships and offshore oil and gas floating facilities and support vessels.

IS-29e was the first of these satellites to be launched, commissioned in April 2016, and the IS-37e satellite was the latest to be deployed, in January 2018. There is a lull in EpicNG satellite launches this year, but the final one in Intelsat’s plans will be commissioned in 2019.

IS-29e, provides spot beams of Kuband over South America, North Atlantic

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and the Caribbean, IS-32e over the Atlantic and Caribbean and IS-33e has Ku-band coverage over Europe and was the first to provide spot beams in C-band, in this instance over the Indian Ocean.

Satellite IS-35e also provides C-band spot capacity, in this case to the Atlantic Ocean. It also has Ku-band widebeams with coverage over the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Europe and Africa.

IS-37e provides a wider-ranging service that includes some of the first spot beams in the Southern Ocean. It has Ku-band widebeam coverage that is augmented with spot beams in both C-band and Kuband. Some of this coverage is over the South Atlantic. There is also broadband connectivity from Argentina and Chile to Antarctica, specifically for research vessels and cruise ships to use.

C-band spot beam coverage is different from Ku-band high intensity beams as they cater for vessel operators that have legacy C-band systems on board, such as drilling rigs and cruise ships.

Eutelsat investments

Coverage regions/ Beam type

Satellite

Eutelsat plans to spend more than €400M (US$492M) on new satellites each year to the end of June 2020 to increase broadband communications for maritime, government, airline and land-based users. This includes two satellites that are scheduled to be launched in the last six months of 2018 and two in 2019.

Some of this investment is spent to replace ageing geostationary satellites as these are decommissioned, while capital expenditure is also focused on expansion opportunities.

Eutelsat is also able to change position and mission of existing satellites in order to optimise coverage for its clients. For

instance, in November 2017, the Eutelsat 172B high-throughput satellite began operations with coverage over Asia Eutelsat 172A was then relocated further east and renamed Eutelsat 174A. In H2 2018, the satellite operator expects the launch of Eutelsat 7C to provide Ku-band coverage over the Mediterranean, the Middle East and coasts around Africa.

This will be followed by the launch of Eutelsat 5 West B that should provide Kuband services to vessels operating around Europe and the Middle East.

During 2019, Eutelsat anticipates that it will commission the first of its Quantumclass satellites, which is being built by Airbus group. This is designed to provide flexible Ku-band beams to naval ships where governments request the coverage.

Eutelsat also plans to launch another satellite that is yet to be named, to provide Ku-band spot beams over Africa.

Eutelsat has a fleet of 38 geostationary satellites, with a total of more than 1,400 transponders, which produce global C-band and Ku-band coverage. It has annual revenue of around €1.5Bn and a backlog of contracts worth €4.7Bn. In Q1 2018, two satellites – Eutelsat 31A and Eutelsat 16C – reached the end of their operational life and were de-orbited.

It leased capacity on Yahsat’s Al Yah 3 satellite for its African connectivity project that was introduced in January.

Al Yah 3 is Yahsat’s third satellite and was launched in December 2017. Its other two satellites are Al Yah 1, providing C-band and Ku-band after its launch in April 2011, and Al Yah 2, which was launched in April 2012. Yahsat also has hosted payload on Intelsat’s IS-32e. It provides coverage over Africa, the Middle East and southwest Asia. VSAT

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

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CYBER SECURITY | 41

CYBER ATTACK RISKS MUST NOT BE UNDERESTIMATED Hill Dickinson law firm’s head of global shipping Julian Clark explains that, even though awareness of cyber security has increased ‘significantly’ due to the Maersk cyber attack, far more needs to be done

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I

t is without doubt that cyber risk is increasing in every sector of industry. The maritime sector is particularly vulnerable both due to the high number of access points for a cyber attack and the huge potential damage that could result. The attack on Danish shipping giant Maersk last year has resulted in an estimated cost to the company in excess of US$300 - 400M, but even that significant amount of money pales into insignificance when compared to the potential danger and damage to life and the environment as a result of a cyber attack to a trading vessel.

Ironically the NotPetya attack on Maersk has done a tremendous favour to the maritime industry.

If a company as well organised and sophisticated as Maersk can face such a significant attack, then no-one is safe.

It is in fact a considerable credit to the organisation of that company that its managers were able to deal with the attack so efficiently and ensure that it did not compromise their fleet.

Having said that, the financial loss and disruption caused was still significant. I believe that the Maersk attack has significantly raised awareness within the sector: for some time there has been a great deal of underreporting which has lulled people into a false sense of security.

But while awareness has increased dramatically over the past 18 months, far more still needs to be done. Leading insurance providers have commented that the current levels of cover need to be increased tenfold. While the world’s leading maritime organisations and insurance providers are all now providing cyber guidance, there must not be a reduction in the steps taken to make all involved in the marine arena aware of the considerable risk.

Shipping companies and all those involved in the sector must remain vigilant to ensure they have as much information as possible about the risks they face. This is particularly the case for cyber risk since the game changes not only every day but often every hour as new systems are developed by hackers and others (including criminals and those who simply see cyber crime as a live video game) to disrupt systems.

One of the greatest dangers faced by the shipping industry is the huge range of potential access points for a cyber attack. This could be by crew members, passengers or other third parties who are allowed access to vessels, who could infect systems either intentionally or innocently via their

own flash drives, laptops and even mobile phones.

Externally, systems are exposed to infiltration not only by sophisticated hackers but by relatively low-skilled individuals who can infiltrate systems often with equipment that is easily obtained for very low sums of money.

Smart containers, ballast water management systems, engine monitoring systems, AIS and ECDIS and any system that links back to shore are potentially vulnerable to attack.

There are a number of security protocols that can be introduced to ensure that ship communication to shore is through a secure and independent system that can be isolated immediately should it become apparent that a company is under attack.

Companies are certainly doing far more to protect against infiltration but there is still some hesitance to move this risk from the IT department to boardroom level. It is only those companies that do address cyber risk at the highest level of management that will be able to put in place the forms of security that will adequately protect their businesses. VSAT

Julian Clark, (Hill Dickinson): If a company as well organised and sophisticated as Maersk can face such a significant attack, then no one is safe

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

42 | CYBER SECURITY

STOPPING MALWARE OVER SATELLITE THROUGH INNOVATION World-Link Communications, Port-IT, WatchGuard and GTMaritime have developed cyber security specifically for shipping to prevent malware from entering computers over satellite links

C

yber security plays an increasingly important role in maritime communications as threats become more frequent and costs rise. This was demonstrated by cyber attacks on shipping, including one on Maersk in June 2017 that is estimated to have cost that group around US$300M, and others that have been reported (Marine Electronics & Communications, Q1 2018).

Malware can enter ship computers from a number of sources, such as data storage devices and mobile phones, but the majority come from seafarer email received over satellite communications.

Communications service companies have recognised this problem and are introducing new cyber security products with anti-malware and viral detection. There are also companies that specialise in providing cyber security products for VSAT and broadband communications and secure crew email.

For example, WorldLink Communications has added functions to its maritime cyber security platform, ShipSecure.

This is a multilayered fleet security management system that can give shipowners, managers and operators an

Asad Salameh: “We deploy virtual machine and cloud-based technologies”

indication of the cyber threats to their assets. ShipSecure gives owners the ability to control onboard security to protect computers that are linked to the internet.

World-Link president Asad Salameh explained that ShipSecure incorporates three main components that improve a fleet’s cyber security. “We deploy virtual machine and cloud-based technologies to integrate onboard unified threat management (UTM) devices and sensors,” he said.

These operate alongside Cisco’s latest threat intelligence services for an integrated service, which Mr Salameh said allows WorldLink to provide ship operators with “access to the latest global threat intelligence and the latest in firewalls,” which are intrusion detection and protection systems.

ShipSecure provides fleet managers with policy-based protection of onboard computers with real-time and historical data analysis of data collected from onboard security sensors. It has anti-virus and anti-malware software and onboard network firewalls.

World-Link said a security IT manager can use ShipSecure to identify threats across the fleet, isolate the problem area and take immediate remedial action to minimise the effect of any threat or breach.

ShipSecure uses a centralised management portal that delivers realtime network traffic data.

IT managers can use this to analyse and instil actionable policies across the fleet. Within

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CYBER SECURITY | 43

ShipSecure is ShipGate, a global threat management module that provides an outer layer of protection and analysis around a vessel fleet. This shields ships from internet intrusion and protects vessels from being detected from potential hackers.

ShipNet is a second module in ShipSecure. It is a vulnerability management system that is continuously assessing existing threats on board ships in a fleet. It has a priority system for critical resolution of existing vulnerabilities on vessels.

IT managers can manage ShipNet from a central dashboard to perform scanning and reporting tasks against known vulnerabilities of software applications, operating systems and network protocols.

World-Link said it continuously updates the ShipNet database of vulnerabilities and has so far identified 50,000 of these. It is installed as a virtual machine in World-Link’s ShipSat satellite communications hardware. ShipGuard is within these onboard ShipSat virtual machines. It builds an internal layer of protection that shields vessels from external threats and connects the vessel’s protection components to the threat intelligence at the onshore management system.

Other specialist email and online security providers, Port-IT and WatchGuard created a unified threat management package for maritime customers in 2017. Port-IT Vanir will protect all computers from malware and viral infections for a monthly fee, said Port-IT managing director Youri Hart.

He told MEC that this service was developed in response to successful cyber attacks on shipping and the resulting interest in marine-specific services. Vessel computers are protected by a custom implementation of endpoint security from internet security provider ESET. Antivirus signatures are updated daily and synchronised between the shore and vessels that are using Port-IT’s software.

This endpoint security has firewalls and protection against denial-of-service attacks with WatchGuard software installed for viral detection. WatchGuard uses various security vendors for network security, such as Kaspersky, Bitdefender, Websense and Lastline.

Shipowners can get reports from Port-IT’s monitoring software to analyse network security and implement any required changes

“We deploy virtual machine and cloud-based technologies to integrate onboard unified threat management devices and sensors”

or upgrades. Port-IT Vanir will block websites, monitor crew internet usage and prioritise bandwidth so that critical communications can get through.

Mr Hart said vessel operators using this service have greater control over what online content crew can access. “In our security centre we actively monitor for any strange behaviour and, if found, we contact the customer and can eliminate the computer in the network by disconnecting it remotely,” he said.

Trials with Port-IT Vanir in 2017 identified active denial-of-service internet devices that were trying to slow ship data transmissions over the satellite link.

GTMaritime is another provider of cyber security that uses Lastline’s network-based malware protection. In February this year, it announced that Lastline’s malware detection technology was included in its GTMailPlus service.

This “diminishes the risk of malware infecting critical systems that could lead to devastating results,” said GTMaritime chief executive Rob Kenworthy. In tests last year, Lastline software was effective at detecting advanced malware. It achieved 100% security effectiveness in the 2017 NSS Labs breach detection systems tests.

GTMaritime has deployed the Lastline detector in GTMailPlus to isolate, independently analyse and block malicious attachments and internet addresses before they are routed to recipients.

GTMaritime’s engineers can use Lastline analysis and reports to respond to cyber threats and incidents. GTMailPlus includes an online dashboard that facilitates remote configuration and administration of email on vessels. VSAT

Class drives cyber security improvements Lloyd's Register has developed cyberenabled ship descriptive notation to improve security of shipping from the growing number of cyber threats, writes Rebecca Moore COSCO Shipping Aries is the first ever container ship to receive Lloyd’s Register’s (LR) cyber-enabled ship descriptive note Cyber AL3 Secure Perform for its energy management system.

The 20,000 TEU ship was built by Nantong COSCO KHI Ship Engineering Co. The ship complies with the revised version of LR's cyber-enabled ships (CES) ShipRight procedure, issued in December 2017. AL3 is defined by LR as “cyber access for autonomous/remote monitoring and control (onboard permission is required, and onboard override is possible)”.

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COSCO is now hoping to apply LR’s CES descriptive notes to some of its other vessels. LR innovation strategy and research director Luis Benito told Marine Electronics & Communications “The significance here is that operators have a way of ensuring that their energy management system integrates with the rest of the systems on the ship with no side effects. Therefore, it checks that it works in harmony with the rest of the ship and has a foundation level of [cyber security]. Clients rely on such systems for business decisions, so it is important that they can rely on the data being cyber secure.”

He said the AL3 note has additional significance as it means the energy management system is certified to operate in an autonomous way without human

intervention. “Once the owner sets the parameters, the system is left to operate the ship within these thresholds automatically and will deliver what it needs to without human intervention.”

However, the human is kept in the loop, as the system is set to allow crew to override it if needed, then reset it to be autonomous again.

Mr Benito expanded “This is so new to everyone, including ourselves. Many ships have been using energy management systems for decades, but what is new is that in the past no one paid attention to the risks of having a connected ship streaming data.”

But, as he explained, there is now an industry realisation that ship operators should look at the risk of data streaming and connected assets. VSAT

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

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VSAT SERVICES | 45

TRAINING AND MEDIA CONTENT ADDS VALUE TO VSAT KVH AND MARLINK PROVIDE E-TRAINING PROGRAMS WHILE ITC HAS BEGUN TESTING A MEDIA CONTENT DELIVERY SERVICE

D

emand for onboard media and e-training is growing, driving VSAT providers to develop delivery technology and gain access to video content.

For example, Marlink entered into a partnership with Seagull Maritime in March to introduce onboard e-learning content.

Together they are creating an online service with VSAT access for distributing and updating e-training material.

This combines Marlink’s Sealink VSAT and Seagull’s extensive library of digital training programs.

They are working to streamline and automate e-learning content distribution and management. To achieve a fully digitalised service, Seagull software will be installed on Marlink’s XChange centralised IT and communications management platform. This will enable onboard hosting and monitoring of Seagull’s software for training and qualification of seafarers.

This service will enable seafarers to update their knowledge of the latest safe and efficient vessel operation practices during their offduty time on ships. Online distribution of the content will ensure ships have the latest e-learning modules and software versions, which can be adjusted to customer’s specific training requirements.

As more training and media content is added to VSAT services, providers need

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to increase their data rates.

Marlink announced in February that it had doubled burst rate throughput on Sealink without changing the cost. It increased the maximum information rate that Sealink could deliver to ships from 3 Mbps to 6 Mbps.

There are eight allowance plans from 1 GB to 80 GB, which shipowners can switch between during their contract period.

MEDIA CASTING

KVH Industries provides media and training content using its IP-MobileCast technology and mini-VSAT Broadband network. Vessels can connect to both using KVH’s own TracPhone series of antennas, which includes TracPhone V7-HTS for connection to high-throughput satellites. This 60 cm antenna enables data download speeds of up to 10 Mbps.

Others in the series are TracPhone V11-IP, V7-IP and V3-IP. These are connected to KVH’s Integrated CommBox Modem that has antenna control, a high-throughput modem, voice over IP adapter and integrated wifi and Ethernet switches.

IP-MobileCast delivers KVH’s exclusive training and media content to vessels during periods of low bandwidth demand. Content includes news, films, TV programmes, sports events, weather data, ECDIS-compatible chart updates and e-training programs. In September 2017,

KVH sends news, films and sports content over IP-MobileCast

KVH introduced Videotel Performance Manager, a maritime training solution combining content and webbased data analytics.

Panasonic Avionics subsidiary ITC Global unveiled a video-on-demand (VOD) service over VSAT in March this year. This is being added to its existing maritime social service Crew Live internet service platform, which has 30,000 registered users.

VOD services will provide users with access to a library holding at least 100 films and 15 TV series in remote work sites. These will be delivered over VSAT to onboard servers that crew can access with their own mobile devices over vessel wireless networks. There is a self-service portal on the server

and seafarers will need to download ITC’s media player application to gain access to the content.

Field trials for this VOD service began in March at Crew Live sites. These trials will continue through Q2 2018, with more VOD deployments and upgrades to existing Crew Live sites.

Content will be offered in multiple languages with subtitle support.

VOD services will be encrypted and have digital rights to prevent piracy and protect the integrity of intellectual property. ITC conducts critical security and compliance screening to ensure the VOD offering meets these legal and licensing requirements. VSAT

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

46 | VSAT SERVICES

Cobham partners deliver fast VSAT solutions Partners, distributors and integrators of Cobham Satcom VSAT have provided broadband solutions to various vessel types using Sailor hardware

V

SAT providers and system integrators have benefited from using Cobham Satcom Sailor antenna hardware with their services. Shipowners, managers and seafarers have used the Ku-band and Kaband connectivity that Sailor antennas provide on vessels for greater communications to shore and internet access.

An example of how an integrator has worked with Cobham Satcom and a VSAT provider to deliver faster satellite communications to a fleet of gas carriers came to light in February this year.

Elcome International said it had completed a retrofit programme across a fleet of liquefied natural gas tankers using Sailor equipment.

Elcome executive director Jimmy Grewal said a team of engineers decommissioned the existing VSAT systems and installed new Sailor 900 Ku antennas and associated below-deck terminal equipment on 40 ships in four months during 2017.

Most of the installations were performed at sea but some were conducted in ports in eight countries, he said. Elcome created three independent networks on each ship for corporate traffic, crew voice and internet connections and the transfer of performance data from shipboard sensors. Elcome

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

provides specific data quotas to crew members and manages their airtime.

VSAT connectivity and media entertainment is provided by Global Eagle Entertainment. Its senior director of commercial shipping Rainier Abreu said its partnership with Elcome “is a critical element in Global Eagle’s strategy to develop the Middle East and Asia region.”

Elcome said Sailor VSAT antennas were chosen because of their fast installation and integration.

It meant Elcome could follow the owner’s requirement for a three-day turnaround for each vessel installation.

Onboard entertainment

Global Eagle launched its OceanPrime TV onboard entertainment package in January this year. This was designed for distribution to commercial shipping over VSAT with live access to sports, news and other television channels.

Global Eagle senior vice president for maritime Ole

Cobham Satcom has developed 60 cm antennas for Ku- and Ka-band

Sivertsen said these services should “allow commercial shipping to improve crew morale with a very quick upgrade.”

OceanPrime TV can be installed by qualified resellers in one day and vessel owners sign a 24-month contract. A silver package includes two channels and a gold package offers four channels.

Applied Satellite Technology (AST) Group provides VSAT services using Cobham Satcom’s Sailor antennas. It provides Ku-band connectivity to vessels worldwide using Sailor 900 VSAT. It can also match this to live media services on board vessels that come over Sailor 90 satellite TV receive only antennas.

AST said Sailor 900 has three axes of stabilisation and a single coax cable link to an antenna control unit. For vessels with insufficient space for a 90 cm antenna, AST offers a Sailor 600 VSAT for Ku-band. It has a 60 cm dish and weighs 35 kg. It also has dynamic motor brakes and automatic azimuth calibration.

As a distributor of Inmarsat services, AST offers its Fleet Xpress service, which incorporates Ka-band VSAT from the Global Xpress network with FleetBroadband for back up. AST can provide Sailor 100 GX and Sailor 60 GX antennas for these worldwide Ka-band services. These are similar to

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VSAT SERVICES | 47

Elcome installed new Sailor 900 Ku antennas on LNG carriers in the Middle East

the Ku-band equivalents with automatic azimuth calibration and a single cable connection to the below-deck equipment.

Thor 7 connectivity

For vessels needing Kaband over Europe, the Mediterranean and Middle East, AST can offer Telenor’s Thor 7 satellite coverage. This is delivered to vessels using Sailor 900 Ka VSAT and iDirect X7 satellite routers. All of these Ka-band and Ku-band services are also available with Intellian antennas. This includes v100Ka and v60Ka antennas for Thor 7 maritime broadband.

Alphatron Marine is also a gold partner for Telenor Thor 7, providing Ka-band connectivity to vessels operating within the regional coverage. To deliver this satellite link, Alphatron supplies Intellian V60Ka antennas and a prewired 19-in cabinet that contains a VT iDirect X7 modem, 3G router, wifi transceiver, Ethernet switches and an uninterruptable power supply.

Ships using Thor 7 through Alphatron’s service can obtain downlink speeds over European shipping lanes from 512 kbps to 24 Mbps. Downlink speeds vary between 128 kbps

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and 6 Mbps. This is supported by iDirect’s Velocity platform for automatic and seamless spot beam handover for continuous connectivity.

Mediterranean connections

Cyprus-headquartered Tototheo Maritime provides Ku-band VSAT with Sailor 900 and Sailor 800 antennas. It can link up to two antennas to one modem, without the need for an additional box to manage this feature.

This requirement arises when a vessel needs a reliable satellite connection even when there are obstructions in the way, such as bridge antenna or when a vessel is beside an oil production platform.

In these cases, two Sailor antenna controllers manage the connections between satellite and modem. Sailor 800 VSAT is similar in performance to the 1 m Sailor 900 VSAT, but has an 83 cm dish and pre-configured radio frequency equipment.

Tototheo is also able to convert Sailor 900 VSAT for Ka-band services by updating the radio frequency feed and antenna electronics.

Alternatively, ships can be connected to Global Xpress with

a Sailor 60 GX or Sailor 100 GX antenna that come with antenna control units and GX modem.

Greece-headquartered Otesat-Maritel also offers Fleet Xpress and Ku-band VSAT for regional coverage, plus it provides C-band VSAT for global communications. It can also provide value-added services, such as voice over IP, simultaneous voice and data communications and monitoring programs.

Otesat-Maritel provides crew and operational communications using its s@tGate networking tool that optimises data transmissions and manages satellite bandwidth. s@tGate switches connectivity between VSAT and L-band for low cost routeing and bandwidth reliability.

This unit enables OtesatMaritel’s onboard ICT network and crew welfare services, such as internet cafe, email and telephony. s@tGate allows integration of further services and applications from other providers.

Cold climate VSAT

Calgary, Canada-based Network Innovations is another service partner of Cobham Satcom. It offers maritime VSAT through its own Maverick

service with Sailor 900 and Sailor 800 Ku-band antennas.

It is also able to supply Global Xpress with Sailor 60 and Sailor 100 GX antennas.

Network Innovations has extended the coverage of VSAT into Polar areas when this is required. For example, since 2016, it worked with Inmarsat and Cobham to provide Ka-band communications for expedition cruise ships operating in seas between South America and Antarctica.

This was tested in 2017 on Nova Cruising’s passenger ship Ocean Nova with a Sailor 100 GX antenna that was able to remain connected during the voyage to Inmarsat’s geostationary fifth generation satellite.

Ku-band and Ka-band VSAT has also been tested with vessels operating in the Canadian Arctic using the coverage that Network Innovations has collated in its Maverick service.

Network Innovations also offers Ku-band and Ka-band satellite communications with Intellian’s v-Series of antennas. This includes v80G and v130G for Ku-band and GX60 and GX100 for Global Xpress. VSAT

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

48 | VSAT SERVICES

PARTNERSHIP LEADS TO NEW SHIP CONNECTIVITY SERVICES A NEW SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE CAN PROPEL SHIPPING AND WORKBOAT INDUSTRIES TOWARDS A DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

O

range Business Services and BlueTide Communications have joined forces to provide vessel owners with a suite of communications, navigation and asset management services.

These services will be delivered through Ku-band VSAT using a global satellite network.

Orange is providing BlueTide with managed Ku-band capacity that includes the ability to switch to alternative satellite beams for seamless global coverage. This includes teleport connectivity across all major shipping and sailing routes.

BlueTide uses this connectivity to provide internet and data services, navigation information, cyber security, voice and video, corporate applications and asset management for vessels. Using Orange’s Kuband coverage will “have a transformative effect on how shipping is conducted,” said BlueTide chief executive Emil Regard in a statement.

“The maritime industry depends on consistent [and] reliable communications between ship and port to operate,” he said. Although this seems obvious, this level of service is not necessarily always available to commercial shipping and workboats, such as offshore support vessels.

With this connectivity, vessels are able to receive and transmit realtime data, including updates on a navigation route. Vessel masters can receive more accurate and timely weather forecasts and access corporate applications in the cloud.

Collaboration between Orange and BlueTide delivers crew welfare services, including internet, entertainment and phone services. It also enables BlueTide to provide vessels with live video surveillance, cyber security and systems monitoring.

Global Ku-band coverage gives BlueTide the “ability to reach more ships at sea with a larger variety of advanced communications,” explained Mr Regard. This includes coverage over main shipping lanes and more remote areas of the world’s oceans.

Orange senior vice president for the Americas Rob Willcock said reliable broadband connectivity can support remote monitoring of a ship’s mechanical components, which enables operators to introduce predictive maintenance practices. VSAT can also be used to remotely track and monitor cargo in transit.

Louisiana, US-headquartered BlueTide is an independent division of ESSI Corp. It provides primary and back-up broadband communications with value-added services such as video surveillance, private networks, voice services, mapping and monitoring services.

Orange Business Services is a division of the Orange Group. It is a technology integrator and provider of VSAT coverage for internet of things and data transmissions and supports IT with cyber security. Its services to shipping come through its Maritime Connect platform.

This has features to simplify and control the access to data and voice services on board vessels or remotely from shore, said Mr Willcock. It enables owners to consider vessels as extensions to shore offices by using a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) cloud and VSAT connectivity.

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

An Orange engineer installs a VSAT antenna

As part of Maritime Connect, Orange has virtual private networks (VPNs) for owners to use for connecting all IP services to their vessel fleets. These include connectivity plugs, firewalls and intrusion detection, fault management and companion services for voice over IP, video conferencing and instant messaging.

Maritime Connect uses various C-band and Ku-band VSAT and back-up L-band from Inmarsat and Iridium for least cost routeing and undisrupted transmissions. It also provides access to Orange’s cloudbased data storage facilities. Orange uses Cisco switches and Hewlett Packard servers for its connectivity platform.

Layered security

Connectivity security over Maritime Connect involves two firewalls and a united threat management (UTM) platform to protect ships from viruses, malware and hacking threats.

One of the firewalls is embedded in a unit on vessels to protect them whatever link is used. When someone connects to the internet, this signal will cross Orange MPLS network and pass through a second firewall between Orange’s VPN and the internet. This firewall is divided in different modules, each monitoring and allowing or blocking specific types of traffic, such as outgoing, inter-zone, VPN or port forwarding traffic. UTM provides network security including web and email filtering, VPN, intrusion prevention and bandwidth management. VSAT

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50 | VSAT SERVICES

Integrated VSAT is needed for full fleet communications VSAT service providers have upgraded their offering with new value-added services, cyber security and faster data burst rates

services. It has solid state drives, remote power management, multiple fans and cyber security protection that is delivered

by Fortinet’s unified threat management platform and content filters.

SRH provides a full range of digital products for ECDIS, including Admiralty vector charts and navigational publications, from the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office.

VSAT improvements

Satcom Global Aura VSAT Ku-band coverage and FleetBroadband back-up

Aura Coverage

I

ntegrated VSAT solutions are becoming more advanced by providing connectivity, cyber security and internet of things (IoT) for fleet management. Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) partnered with Alpha Ori, starting in 2017, to provide shipowners with more effective ways of managing their fleets.

This uses secure broadband satellite communications using SingTel’s own satellites and teleport infrastructure with cyber security, IoT applications and data analytics. Their combined service tracks and analyses more than 5,000 data points from ship’s navigation, engine performance and cargo handling systems.

SingTel is also partnered with Singapore Maritime Academy to introduce an online portal for crew training and development.

SingTel security arm Trustwave is working with Inmarsat to enhance vessel cyber

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

Inmarsat FleetBroadband

protection over Fleet Xpress and SingTel has introduced a cyber security training institute.

More details on SingTel’s services and views on digitalisation are in this year’s issue of Singapore Solutions, a sister publication to Marine Electronics & Communications.

Speedcast International announced in February that it has partnered with SRH Marine to provide vessels with Navigationas-a-Service (NaaS), to distribute and update electronic navigational charts. This is delivered through Speedcast’s Sigma Gateway Xtreme and SRH’s Pilot platforms.

Together they provide an e-navigation and ECDIS compliance service, with remote monitoring and data analytics, using data transmissions over Ku-band VSAT Fleet Xpress and Fleet Broadband.

Sigma Gateway Xtreme was introduced in November 2017 as a device for managing Speedcast’s global Ku-band VSAT, Fleet Xpress, L-band and 4G

In February, Globecomm unveiled its expanded Nimbus portfolio for maritime communications, including VSAT, L-band and hybrid connectivity. There are three options for shipowners and managers to choose from: Nimbus Lite, Nimbus and Nimbus Pro. These were introduced as shipping is increasingly using high-throughput satellites and mixing VSAT with 4G services. These extensions are based on the existing Nimbus smartbox that was introduced in 2013 and which manages business and crew communications across 1,000 installations.

Nimbus Lite is an entry-level option for vessels that require low data needs and limited communications outlay. Nimbus Pro is designed for use with high-throughput and Nimbus remains the middle option for securely controlled and defined networks.

Nimbus automatically switches between satellite and cellular networks and supports applications such as voyage management systems and chart updates for ECDIS. It manages email and file compression.

All Nimbus installations can be monitored and managed from any location via Globecomm’s Cirrus cloud portal for visibility, control and accountability across networks and devices. Cirrus can be used for managing satellite connectivity and redundancy, software updates and for configuring user accounts and establishing firewall rules.

Satcom Global is improving its Aura VSAT network with more coverage and highthroughput satellite (HTS) spot beams. Its Ku-

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VSAT SERVICES | 51

band VSAT comes from satellites operated

by SES, Intelsat, Eutelsat and JSAT. This will be enhanced when SES commissions three HTS units this year as Satcom Global has committed capacity on these. Within an agreement signed in 2017, SES will also provide the ground network infrastructure, which enables multi-satellite access and service integration solutions. Aura comes with iDirect Velocity hardware that is ready for the introduction of HTS coverage.

Aura is supported by a comprehensive suite of value-added services and a range of back-up options, including Iridium Certus, which is due to be launched later this year. Aura provides internet browsing and access to online applications, email, instant messaging and voice services.

Updates galore

NSSLGlobal has updated its range of VSATbased services for ship operations and crew welfare. This has increased download and upload speed from and to ships for data and voice transmissions. Part of the

update is providing dedicated bandwidth on NSSLGlobal’s VSAT IP@Sea service.

This uses digital video broadcasting over a second generation of satellites with committed information rates that can be increased for a burst in data transmissions.

This means ships will always have enough bandwidth for crew welfare and operational requirements. Bandwidth can be boosted for a temporary period up to 100 Mbps when using HTS coverage.

NSSLGlobal has improved its CrewUnite and CrewVision suite of seafarer communications and entertainment services by offering a portal for managing a wide variety of media available to crew.

This includes on-demand access to news channels and television programmes without slowing down internet speeds on board.

In 2017, NSSLGlobal introduced its FusionIP service, which combines VSAT and cellular connectivity within the same device. VSAT is delivered through a Cobham Satcom Sailor 60 cm antenna and the FusionIP below-deck unit.

This automatically switches between

4G and 3G cellular networks where they are available and satellite networks to achieve optimum data speeds and low-cost routeing. NSSLGlobal said this service is suitable for yachts, crew transfer vessels, offshore renewables installation vessels, fishing and coastal commercial vessels.

NSSLGlobal also has an entry-level option as it offers CC-Lite for email and voice services with tighter control of bandwidth and communications costs.

Castor Marine can also combine VSAT with cellular networks using one device on vessels. This optimises connectivity and reduces costs when vessels are in 3G or 4G network coverage. This can be used for maritime internet, IT network support and crew welfare services.

Castor can design, implement and maintain onboard IT and wifi networks and the wide area network between vessels and shore offices of a shipping company. Wireless networks enable crew to use their own devices on ships using Castor’s VSAT airtime.

Marpoint delivers VSAT support with EVO2 router VSAT connectivity needs reliable routers of communications to interface with ship systems, which is what Marpoint can deliver. It supplies the EVO2 router with the VSAT airtime for all bands of radio frequency, including C, Ku and Ka. EVO2 provides guaranteed always-on broadband connection for internet access and IP telephony, said Marpoint manager Anastasis Kyrkos. It controls a multi-person vessel network on all satellite internet installations and enables seafarers to access online applications using their own mobile devices.

This access is either over ship wifi or using communications hotspots in crew common areas. There is also in-built redundancy to prevent technical issues causing communications breakdowns.

EVO² integrates two powerful clone boards with independent power supplies, “providing high availability even if for some reason one board or power supply fails,” said Mr Kyrkos.

“The only thing that an operator has to do is switch cables and power on the secondary side.” There is also back-up to multiple wide area networks if these are accessible. Vessel owners can apply different firewall policies to each network “that are activated automatically when the router detects that a specific terminal has taken over,” he explained.

EVO² applies a set of fair use policies and can prioritise traffic by using a VSAT terminal’s available bandwidth. This enables voice over IP and business services to work seamlessly and simultaneously with traffic for crew welfare.

Mr Kyrkos said fleet managers can use an online platform to centralise management and administration of shipboard equipment and services while providing a wide variety of reports, traffic monitoring services and alerts, he said.

Marpoint is developing a cyber security platform that will protect a shipping company’s sensitive data and business operations onshore and on its vessels. VSAT

Anastasis Kyrkos (Marpoint): EVO2 provides guaranteed alwayson broadband connection for internet access and IP telephony

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The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

52 | VSAT BACK-UP

IRIDIUM NEXT & CERTUS Total satellites: 81 To be in service: 66 In-orbit spares: 9 Ground spares: 6 Launched: 40 Orbit: LEO Orbiting planes: Six polar Frequency: L-band Completed: Q3 2018 Certus terminals: Cobham Sailor 4300 and Thales VesseLink Debut speed: 352 kbps Optimum speed: 704 kbps Iridium will launch 75 satellites, including 66 for the Next constellation and nine in-orbit spares

IRIDIUM LAUNCHES HALF OF NEXT CONSTELLATION IRIDIUM CERTUS WILL BE A BACK-UP OPTION FOR VSAT ONCE ALL OF THE 66 SERVICE SATELLITES ARE COMMISSIONED AND TERMINALS ARE FULLY TESTED

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ridium Communications has launched more than half of its Next constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites and made progress on its Certus maritime terminals. At the time of writing in early March, it had launched four of eight planned packages of satellites resulting in 40 units in LEO orbit.

In total 81 satellites will be built, of which 75 are planned for launch, including 66 in active operation, nine serving as in-orbit spares and the remaining six as ground spares. The fifth launch was scheduled for 29 March from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, USA. It will deliver the 10 new satellites into orbital plane 1.

Other launches are scheduled every five to six weeks thereafter.

Iridium vice president and general manager for maritime business Wouter Deknopper described this investment as “the largest technology refresh in the history of space” because it is an entire replacement of the original Iridium constellation with crosslinking satellites. The Iridium network has six polar orbiting planes, each containing 11 operational crosslinked satellites.

As of 5 March, 34 of the new satellites had been commissioned and were serving customers, providing L-band and low-latency communications. “The remaining satellites are drifting to their operational orbital planes” from the various orbital planes they were launched into, said Mr Deknopper.

L-band connectivity will be accessible on ships through Iridium Certus terminals, which are being built by Cobham Satcom and Thales.

“It offers a new choice to the industry and through its capabilities is set to fundamentally alter the status quo,” said Mr Deknopper.

Both the Cobham Sailor 4300 and Thales VesseLink terminals are

The Complete Guide to VSAT | 2018

undergoing testing on land and at sea in anticipation of a commercial service introduction in Q3 2018. Iridium Certus will debut at speeds of 352 kbps “but these terminals will be capable of speeds reaching 704 kbps through a future firmware update,” he said.

The terminals feature small form-factor, solid-state, active-array antennas, “so they will operate regardless of location, climate or weather conditions,” Mr Deknopper continued. “A lack of moving parts and resulting easing of maintenance costs associated with other products offers a distinct advantage.”

Iridium Certus will provide connectivity across the entire planet, including the polar regions. “This includes the increasingly important and travelled Northern Sea Route and other Arctic passageways,” he explained. “These terminals can serve as highvalue, stand-alone installation or as VSAT companions.”

In February, Iridium announced a list of global maritime launch partners that will provide Certus services. They are Marlink, Speedcast, Applied Satellite Technologies (AST) and Satcom Global. In addition, Arion was announced as a regional launch partner focused on delivering services to the Asian market.

Iridium Certus “was designed to meet the needs of the connected ship, through a competitively priced solution featuring state-of-the-art technology”, said Mr Deknopper. He claimed it would offer the fastest L-band broadband for the maritime industry.

He further explained that Iridium Certus “represents a new choice for L-band services, to a maritime industry that has long-awaited the higher speeds, truly global coverage, costeffectiveness and reliability that the Iridium network can offer. VSAT

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