01

Jul

What is VSAT?

VSAT is a 2 way satellite connection that allows high speed data connections ranging from 56Kbit to 4Mbit per second. It connects a remote earth station such as a commercial shipping vessel to a shore network such as the Internet.

That’s a summary of what VSAT is but in reality the subject is much more complicated.

VSAT is a way of communicating with your fleet typically for fixed a monthly fee you get an always on connection to the Internet for data such as web and email, with cheap voice calls thrown into the deal. Traditionally commercial vessels have used services from Inmarsat or Irdium that charge the customer for what is used, which is fine if you limit your voice conversations and what you send over email.

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26

Jun

IP Communications Uncovered

“The Digital Ship” magazine published our article covering the technical challenges of IP communication over satellite.  Read the full article here.

Satellite IP Communications

With the launch of Inmarsat Fleet Broadband, Iridum OpenPort and a wider choice of VSAT, finally reliable IP communication is now possible at sea.

However, installing the satellite terminal has proven to be the easy part of the IP jigsaw. Figuring out how much data you are paying for, and matching your airtime bills against what your software is reporting is a difficult and sometimes impossible task.

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