KVH celebrated the 10th anniversary of its mini-VSAT Broadband offering for commercial maritime by launching the all-inclusive AgilePlans subscription service
KVH Industries has unveiled its AgilePlans subscriptions for its mini-VSAT Broadband service, which is 10years old in July. KVH has also expanded the content it offers to shipping through its IP-MobileCast service, which sends information, entertainment content and training programmes to ships.
The first version of KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband service was launched in July 2007, along with the TracPhone V7 antenna. This became one of three V-series antennas that are available with version two of mini-VSAT Broadband.
KVH introduced AgilePlans to provide its range of services in one monthly subscription that includes the necessary hardware and additional value-added solutions. KVH chief executive Martin Kits van Heyningen said AgilePlans provides airtime and voice services, data management via the myKVH portal, vessel tracking, crew welfare, Videotel training content and delivery of third-party chart and weather data.
“Ship operators know they can drive efficiency when they bring fast and reliable broadband on board,” he said. “With the AgilePlans service, they will be able to get the benefits from day one. The response has been impressive already.”
The company is currently developing additional value-added services including an internet of things product designed to aid vessels in systems monitoring and preventative maintenance. KVH is also enhancing its mini-VSAT Broadband network with additional high-speed bandwidth capacity incorporating high throughput satellite coverage.
The IP-MobileCast content delivery service includes Videotel maritime training programs, NewsLink daily news, sports and entertainment channels, and ChartLink, which supplies the latest electronic navigational charts (ENCs) to shipping.
KVH announced a link-up with ENC provider ChartCo during the Nor-Shipping exhibition in Lillestrøm, Norway. ChartLink for ChartCo will deliver ENCs, digital publications, weather forecasts, notices to mariners for chart corrections and navigation warnings to ships through the multicasting service.
Ships using this service will have the latest ENCs and e-navigation documents sent on board automatically, said KVH director of IP-MobileCast services Robert Hopkins. “Owners need confidence that ships have the latest ENCs and they are updated with notices to mariners,” he said.
“Our service will also deliver flag and port authority regulations that ships require to sail in those waters for port state control compliance”
“Our service will also deliver flag and port authority regulations that ships require to sail in those waters for port state control compliance. And environmental regulation information can be displayed.”
KVH also has ForecastLink for weather forecasts from the MetManager service, StormGeo’s Bon Voyage service and has added YourLink service for shipowners to send their corporate videos, such as safety notices, across a fleet of ships.
Mr Hopkins said one of the first ship operators to use YourLink is container ship manager Seaspan Corp. “The safety culture video motivates the crew at sea,” he said, adding: “We multicast to deliver the file and host the video on the ships in our entertainment unit.”
KVH’s modern TracPhone range includes the 39cm Ku-band TracPhone V3-IP model, the 60cm Ku-band TracPhone V7-IP, and the 1.1m dual C and Ku-band TracPhone V11-IP antenna. To date more than 7,000 mini-VSAT Broadband systems have been deployed which, according to industry analyst Northern Sky Research, represents 29 per cent of all vessels using Ku-band.
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