There will be a 60% increase in ship-to-shore data traffic in the coming two to three years predicts a survey commissioned by maritime broadband providers, Intelsat.
Putting this in to context, Intelsat explain that just a few years ago, a cruise-going family might only have a single device between them, now cruise the average family shows up with 10 connected devices.
Within the commercial maritime sector, crew members, away at sea for months at a time, are hungry for a robust connectivity experience to stay in touch with family and friends
They say that demand for satellite bandwidth is being driven by a number of factors:
- The development of VSAT antennas for ships has led to a shift away from traditional L-band connections and to higher-throughput Ku- and Ka-band satellite services. The survey found that 57% of shipping companies have VSAT solutions fitted on their vessels.
- When there is a VSAT solution on board, it always becomes the primary means of communication, with the slower L-band used as a backup.
- Crews are now demanding high-speed Internet connections. In the same survey, 72% of crew members said the level of connectivity provided on board is a factor in choosing to work for a ship operator.
- And crews want high-speed connections, with 73% saying that the minimum acceptable connection speed for a crew Internet service is 512Kbps, a speed simply impossible with conventional L-band services.
- Ship operators are increasingly investing in big data analytics to optimize operational efficiencies and cut costs.
- In the future, a network of sensors built into the engines and other operating systems of new-build vessels will enable ship owners to capture a range of information (such as Voyage Data Recorder feeds) as well as on-board equipment and cargo status data – requiring even more bandwidth.
Intelsat however say that they believe that the bandwidth supply can keep up with maritime demand.
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