Offshore communications: consolidation drives innovation

With CIRs, vessel owners can put critical communications over Eutelsat OneWeb and open bandwidth for crew welfare services and client requirements. For example, a dive support vessel is using LEO to operate remotely operated vehicles in real time in a subsea environment. Other vessels are using LEO for updating weather maps in real time and using Microsoft Teams regularly for open video communications between vessels and shore.

Eutelsat OneWeb senior director for maritime and aviation offering, Stephen Conley,

says crew welfare is an important aspect to connectivity with multiple applications including online banking, email, social media, gaming, online streaming and video calls to family and friends. “These were not possible before,” he says. “They all help in retaining good staff and recruitment, as internet is like utilities and most people expect high-speed internet connections and conversations not broken off due to poor bandwidth.”

Connectivity capacity and packages would depend on budgets and people on board. “There is no one size fits all,” says Mr Conley. “We have flexibility to include bolt-ons for specific projects or vessel charters. Owners can add terabytes a month and charge the client. We have made it as flexible as possible.”

Eutelsat Group has also invested in its GEO capacity with one recent launch, Eutelsat 10B, providing coverage for maritime markets in Europe and across the Atlantic. Eutelsat OneWeb satellites have also enabled the operation of unmanned vessels in Norway, where autonomous ships are providing supplies to remote communities.

There has been a wave of consolidation in the satellite communications sector as operators tackle the changing technologies and demands. In April, SES gained shareholder agreement to acquire Intelsat in a US$3.1Bn cash deal, bringing together two providers of connectivity through GEO satellites and very small aperture terminal (VSAT) technology.

Luxembourg-headquartered SES thinks this transaction will lead to US$2.57Bn net present value of readily executable synergies in combining these constellations, groundstations and support offices.

“This transformational, value-accretive acquisition strengthens our business and enhances our ability to deliver solutions,” says SES chief executive, Adel Al-Saleh. “In a fast-moving and competitive satellite communication industry, this transaction expands our multi-orbit space network, spectrum portfolio, ground infrastructure around the world, go-to-market capabilities, managed service solutions and financial profile.”

He anticipates SES constellations and VSAT to increasingly become part of the wider communications ecosystem, including offshore, where there is “rapidly expanding and evolving customer demand”.

This combined group provides Ku-band VSAT connectivity over almost 100 GEO satellites, including high-throughput spot beams and wider beams over almost all global seas and Ka-band through the O3b medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites, which will be augmented this year by O3b Power satellites. Six of these software-enabled satellites, out of a scheduled 13, have been commissioned and two more are expected to be launched later this year. SES is ready to introduce connectivity services ranging from tens of Mbps to multiple gigabits per second.

“There will be another launch in Q3 to keep the network strong”

Viasat acquired Inmarsat in 2023 and continued to invest in high-throughput satellites as part of the Global Xpress and Viasat 3 constellations. In March, Inmarsat signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Saudi Aramco to undertake trials of its 5G mesh-like network to deliver high-bandwidth connectivity to offshore operations in the Middle East Gulf. It has already tested this technology over a lake in the UK and is ready to expand this to harsher maritime and atmospheric environments to demonstrate a range far beyond 1 km, which was previously possible.

Inmarsat’s mesh technology is designed to provide high-speed communications while meeting the demands of the region’s climate – including extreme heat, sandstorms, wind and water evaporation – due to 5G’s improved reliability in challenging weather conditions compared with other high-bandwidth radiocommunications.

Aramco expects to carry out trials of the 5G mobile integrated access and backhaul network during different weather conditions in the Middle East Gulf during 2024 to enable intelligent remote monitoring and maintenance capabilities.

“By extending high-speed connectivity to our remote and harsh offshore sites through 5G mesh technology, we aim to accelerate our plans to deploy advanced use cases under the corporate digital transformation vision,” says Aramco vice president of digital and information technology, Nabil Al-Nuaim. “This is expected to help us further optimise our operations and improve the work environment for our operators.”