Press Release: KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq: KVHI), announced today that beginning June 1, it will add the Mediterranean region, a premier superyacht destination, to its KVH Elite™ service for unlimited HD-quality streaming onboard yachts. The dedicated service, which includes no overages or data limits, was initially launched last October in the Caribbean, where it was well-received by both private and charter yachts.
KVH will continue to offer KVH Elite in the Caribbean—including Florida, the Caribbean, and the islands of the eastern Caribbean—in addition to beginning service in the Mediterranean, including the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea. The Mediterranean yachting season begins in June and has historically attracted superyachts not only from Europe but also from the Caribbean, although global travel restrictions may prompt many yachts currently in the Caribbean to remain there for the balance of the year.
“Yachting is a source of enjoyment for yacht owners and charter guests, and they want to be able to stream movies and other entertainment content just like at home,” says Mark Woodhead, KVH executive vice president for mobile connectivity. “The yachting market, especially during this unprecedented time, is seeing an incredible demand for VSAT connectivity. KVH Elite unlimited streaming service is one more example of how KVH’s premium VSAT connectivity can enhance the yachting experience.”
KVH Elite enables people onboard to use their favorite apps for streaming popular HD movie and TV content, music, and more, on an unlimited basis with no overages or data usage limits. The streaming service uses KVH’s award-winning VSAT antenna systems— the 1 meter diameter TracPhone® V11-HTS with download speeds as fast as 20 Mbps, and the 60 cm diameter TracPhone V7-HTS with download speeds as fast as 10 Mbps—and is designed for ease of use, with simple over-the-air activation that does not require any hardware changes to the antenna system or its belowdecks control unit. Yachts currently using the TracPhone V11-HTS or V7-HTS are KVH Elite-ready for activation.
KVH Elite is available as a weekly or monthly airtime plan, and seamless access to the service is managed by KVH Superyacht Group’s concierge service. Yachts enjoy their selected V11-HTS or V7-HTS high-speed and unlimited use data plans and the benefits of KVH’s global HTS service when not in the KVH Elite streaming regions.
KVH Elite relies on KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadbandsm HTS network, which utilizes Intelsat’s FlexMaritime service to deliver global multi-layered coverage, enabling vessels to see multiple HTS and wide beam satellites for maximum availability of broadband service.
