PRESS RELEASE: Ryan Smith from KVH and Dan Lesmez from Intelsat teamed up at CMA Shipping 2018, the annual conference of the Connecticut Maritime Association, yesterday to explain how ship owners, operators, and managers can take advantage of the commercial benefits gained from switching to High Throughput Satellite (HTS) technology by using Connectivity as a Service (CaaS).
Mr. Smith described a subscription-based plan for Connectivity as a Service (CaaS) called AgilePlans, which KVH pioneered. “The benefits of connectivity enable ships to operate more efficiently and provide a higher level of crew welfare, said Mr. Smith. “KVH’s all-inclusive CaaS offering for the maritime industry provides an advanced satellite communications solution without a costly capital expenditure or long-term commitment,” he continued. “Vessel owners and operators can enjoy a complete package including hardware, connectivity, installation at selected ports, entertainment and training content, and global support.”
In essence, the CaaS subscription model is designed to deliver everything a fleet needs for better communications and improved operational efficiency at sea. “In the past, operators were wary of committing to a SATCOM package due to the comparative complexity and costs associated with it, but now AgilePlans has swept all that away. KVH is already seeing a huge uptake in the market as the ‘no strings’ subscription model appeals to risk-adverse operators,” Mr. Smith concluded.
Mr. Lesmez described factors impacting maritime satellite communications. “The average bandwidth use for commercial vessels is expected to rise more than 500% in the next eight years, so there is no better time for vessel owners to upgrade their SATCOM systems,” said Mr. Lesmez. Intelsat’s EpicNG satellites and IntelsatOne Flex platform are key elements of KVH’s mini-VSAT BroadbandSM service, which provides thousands of vessels worldwide with connectivity. KVH recently introduced the TracPhone® V7-HTS antenna system, a 60-cm diameter Ku-band antenna designed to deliver 10 Mbps per second download speeds, which are three times faster than other 60-cm systems. The AgilePlans offering is available with the high-speed TracPhone V7-HTS antenna system and mini-VSAT Broadband service.
