New satellite launches will offer expanded broadband connectivity to maritime industries
Satellite operators are investing billions of dollars renewing and upgrading their constellations of geostationary orbiters to increase maritime VSAT capabilities. They are launching new C-band satellites to facilitate 5G connectivity over satellite and developing a new generation of high-throughput satellites (HTSs) for spot beams of high-intensity K-band.
Intelsat is one of the biggest investors as it is launching new C-band satellites and a new generation of HTS units, allowing VSAT providers to respond to expected surges in maritime demand.
Intelsat operates a global network of more than 50 geostationary satellites and an open, interoperable architecture including ground stations, combining wide-beam satellites and the high-performance Epic platform.
“We can ensure higher bandwidth to respond to connectivity needs at all times, even on the busiest shipping lanes,” says Intelsat senior principal product development manager Chris Insall.
“We are pursuing an aggressive, multi-year network transformation plan with investments in new assets that are designed for extremely high speeds, enhanced capacity flexibility, redundancy and backwards compatibility.”
As part of this plan, Intelsat is investing in two next-generation, fully flexible Epic 2.0 satellites, with delivery by Airbus expected in 2023. These will be software-defined satellites with in-orbit reconfiguration.
These “will provide powerful performance and a ground-breaking experience for Intelsat customers across multiple geographic regions,” says Mr Insall. “End-users will get seamless, reliable connectivity precisely when and where they need it.”
Intelsat is preparing for the deployment of 5G in C-band. “We have finalised our C-band transition plan that details the steps required to reconfigure its satellite and terrestrial infrastructure,” says Mr Insall.
“With the maritime industry relying on C-band to operate, we have planned for the relocation of its existing customer services to the upper part of the C-band to make way for 5G services in the lower portion of the band,” he explains.
This is moving forward at an accelerated pace to meet the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) C-band clearing timelines. Seven satellites, ordered from Maxar and Northrop Grumman, will be launched by SpaceX and Arianespace on four separate launch vehicles, beginning in 2022. “The diversity of manufacturers and launch-vehicle providers will lower transition programme costs and help Intelsat mitigate potential launch-delay risks,” says Mr Insall.
But it takes more than just technology and constellation hardware to make broadband services available and affordable.
“Commercial maritime is being driven by the growth in digitalisation, smart shipping and improved operational efficiency,” he continues. “For shipowners and operators to remain competitive, they must leverage these technological trends. Consistent, dependable connectivity is a critical enabler of each of these drivers.”
Intelsat’s satellite fleet works in concert with terrestrial networking infrastructure and robust managed services.
“Our global, always-on network, combined with managed services specifically designed for the shipping industry, provides the assurance of connectivity at sea at all times for enhanced growth and competitiveness,” says Mr Insall.
Intelsat offers FlexMaritime, a global, multi-layered HTS service delivering high-speed, secure and reliable connectivity. “It was built specifically to meet the growing demands of global maritime trade routes and to provide truly dependable and dynamic connectivity at sea,” says Mr Insall.
Its fully integrated HTS network provides ship operators with speeds up to 20 Mbps on the downlink and 3 Mbps uplink, through VSAT providers such as KVH Industries, “enabling applications such as data analytics and monitoring, and delivering services including telemedicine or streaming video, which has become crucial to boost crew morale” he explains.
MEO investment
SES’s HTS investment is focused on expanding its medium Earth orbit (MEO) constellation (O3b mPower), launching new C-band satellites and its SES-17 HTS geostationary unit.
It received US$4Bn in accelerated relocation payments from FCC for the C-band clearing programme, says SES chief executive Steve Collar. “The clearing is on track and we expect to meet the December 2021 and December 2023 deadlines,” he says.
SES has gained contracts and extensions to provide maritime connectivity, valued at US$740M at the end of February 2021, through its SES-17 and O3b mPower satellites.
“These assets form the bedrock of our unique, multi-orbit value proposition to serve the strong and expanding demand for data across all our segments and will drive sustained, profitable growth for SES in the years ahead,” says Mr Collar.
O3b mPower will augment existing MEO coverage from SES’s first fleet of O3b satellites, which operate 8,000 km away from Earth. They will provide multiple gigabits per second (Gbps) of bandwidth to a single cruise ship even during seasonal peaks and in areas of high density.
SES expects O3b mPower to be launched from Q4 2021 and begin service in 2022. It will have higher power than existing O3b satellites and advanced technical features, enabling individual beams to follow a cruise ship, maintaining the highest throughput available wherever a ship is voyaging.
This Luxemburg-listed company expects capital expenditure, driven by satellite investment, to be €660M (US$797M) in 2021 and €880M (US$1,062M) in 2022.
HTS launches
Eutelsat is planning to launch two satellites to enhance mobile connectivity over the next two years. The first of these, Konnect very-high throughput (VHTS) is now expected to be launched in H1 2022. Konnect VHTS will prove 500 Gbps over Europe on 230 Ka-band spot beams.
After this launch, Eutelsat 10B could be launched in H2 2022. This will have coverage dedicated to maritime industries over the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, over Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It will have more than 100 Ku-band spot beams, 12 Ku-band wide beams and 10 transponders of C-band.
In November 2020, Eutelsat brought its Konnect satellite into operation for services over Europe. In H2 2020, Eutelsat 12 West B was de-orbited and Eutelsat 48D was placed in an inclined orbit.
SkyPerfect JSAT, which operates Horizons 3e jointly with Intelsat, has 18 satellites covering from North America to the Indian Ocean. In January 2021, it halted operations on JCSAT-8.
Hispasat is investing in a new satellite with spot-beam coverage for maritime mobility. It has contracted Thales Alenia Space to build the Amazonas Nexus satellite to cover the Americas, Greenland and the north Atlantic. It is due to be launched in H2 2022 and represents the start of a new generation of satellites in Hispasat’s fleet.
Viasat’s preparations for its next-generation constellation, ViaSat-3, have been delayed by Covid-19-induced intermittent supply chain and labour availability challenges. It now anticipates launching these satellites in Q1 2022. In the meantime, Viasat is increasing its capabilities to supply VSAT to maritime and offshore markets with the acquisition of RigNet this year. Viasat has also signed a memorandum of understanding with Gazprom Space Systems (GSS) to provide mobility connectivity across Russia. GSS operates five Yamal satellites with communications coverage over the northern sea routes.
Thaicom has launched a maritime communications and digital service in co-operation with CAT Telecom under the Nation Space and Technology Co venture. NAVA is offered to ship and offshore operators across Thailand and Asia Pacific.
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