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ViaSea-3 satellites add flexibility, speed for Inmarsat NexusWave
Ships will be able to access faster communications for mission-critical operations and crew welfare when two new satellites are commissioned in 2026
London, UK-headquartered ViaSat subsidiary Inmarsat Maritime is preparing the shipping industry for the next phase of NexusWave after the successful launch of two high-capacity ViaSat-3 satellites and associated maritime terminals.
Inmarsat will add the network to its NexusWave bonded connectivity that combines geostationary orbiting (GEO) satellites with low Earth orbiting (LEO) Eutelsat OneWeb satellites, long-term evolution (LTE) mobile and L-band networks.
So far, one ViaSat-3 satellite has been launched and successfully tested to provide coverage over the Americas and another will be launched to offer connectivity over the Asia-Pacific region. These will supplement Inmarsat’s existing Ka-band services from its Global Xpress constellation in 2026.
Next year, Intellian’s latest very small aperture terminal (VSAT) for ViaSat-3, the VS60 terminal, will also be available for installation on ships as part of NexusWave.
Powered by Viasat software-defined radio technology, VS60 achieved download speeds exceeding 250 megabits per second over a ViaSat-3 satellite during sea trials.
“The combination of NexusWave’s bonded, multi-orbit architecture, and the new ViaSat-3-ready terminal developed with Intellian, puts us in a strong position to support the operational priorities of global fleets,” said Inmarsat Maritime vice president Gert-Jan Panken.
“It reinforces our long-term commitment to reliability, security and customer experience at sea, and enables fleets to scale seamlessly with future capacity as the network expands.”
ViaSat-3 satellites have more than 1,000 steerable spot beams, designed to enable bandwidth to be moved dynamically to match demand across global shipping lanes, ports and offshore locations.
Its inclusion in NexusWave will support bandwidth-intensive applications, such as enterprise networking, video streaming, crew welfare and mission-critical operations.
“NexusWave was built to deliver consistent performance in an increasingly complex connectivity landscape,” said Viasat Commercial president Ben Palmer.
“As ViaSat-3 capacity becomes available, we are taking another big step forward by bringing more bandwidth, better flexibility and a forward-thinking upgrade path to ensure connected confidence for the future.”
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