IEC Telecom has announced that its OneGate Marine Compact is available in Asia for small and medium sized vessels to enjoy connectivity at sea previously available only to larger vessels.
The existing VSAT terminals are unsuitable for use on these vessels due to size and high sensitivity to movements. The fleet of small and medium-sized boats are currently underserved by the maritime communication sector.
The smaller the vessel the more prone it is to vibration; under harsh weather conditions at sea, directive VSAT antennas would be unable to guarantee stable signals. Additionally, current solutions in the market require high capital investment and a long-term commitment, with a minimum of three-year service contracts.
Due to the above reasons, small and medium sized vessel owners are placed at a disadvantage in adopting new technologies, causing them to lag behind bigger vessels in the digitalisation wave of the industry.
IEC Telecom came up with OneGate Marine Compact to overcome the challenges faced by shipowners on technical specifications and cost. OneGate Marine Compact provides the solution to optimize L-band capacity bringing VSAT-like experience over Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) terminal.
Optimizing the L-band will enable digitalization for small and mid-sized vessels which will allow the hosting of applications enabling high bandwidth-consuming services such as telemedicine, video conferencing, crew management, crew welfare IoT and more.
Nabil Ben Soussia, CEO, Asia, Middle East and CIS at IEC Telecom said:
“Today, with the launch of OneGate Marine Compact, for the first time in the industry, digitalisation becomes possible and most importantly affordable to all maritime sectors, offered with flexible tariff plans and no long-term commitment. Besides, the new technology will enable maritime SMEs to use various telecom applications to optimize their business processes and increase operational efficiency, creating new opportunities and contributing to the regional GDP growth.”
Credit: IEC Telecom