OneWeb launches its maritime service with a “try before you buy” offer

Image: OneWeb

LEO (low earth orbiting) satellite connectivity has the potential to be a game changer in the maritime satcom sector, with SpaceX’s Starlink being adopted by a growing number of companies and getting some initial rave reviews. Now, though, Starlink is no longer the only player in the game with LEO satcom operator OneWeb on track to deliver full global maritime services by the end of the year and starting to sell services to the maritime industry, via its specialist maritime distribution partners.

Meantime, Amazon’s Project Kuiper plans to launch its first two prototype satellites (out of a planned eventual 3,236 satellite constellation) this year, though whether maritime services are in its plans is not yet clear.

London-headquartered OneWeb is launching its maritime offering with a “Try Before You Buy” service. The service will take bookings from maritime users who want to benefit from OneWeb’s 100 mbps+ enterprise grade flexible connectivity packages at sea.

With 634 OneWeb operational satellites now in orbit, OneWeb says its constellation is complete and fully operational down to 35 degrees latitude. OneWeb will soon have the final ground stations completed and operational requirements in place, ensuring that remains on track to deliver full global maritime services by the end of the year.

OneWeb and its partners have also developed a range of hardware terminal products which are available from trusted maritime communications providers Intellian and Kymeta. Offering hardware terminal products from two established providers with different form factors enables greater choice for customers, it says.

Based on a service level agreement (SLA) model, OneWeb customers can choose flexibility underpinned by guaranteed service levels, defined by straightforward CIR (Committed Information Rate) and/or MIR (Maximum Information Rate) packages.

OneWeb’s fully encrypted network uses a layered service approach to ensure complete privacy while multiple service profiles can segregate crew and operational traffic on the same terminal.

“Since unveiling our commitment to the maritime community at Nor-Shipping four years ago, the demand for ubiquitous high-speed connectivity across the globe has surged exponentially,” said Carole Plessy, VP Europe and maritime at OneWeb. “Today, OneWeb’s complete satellite constellation is successfully deployed, enabling us to now launch our guaranteed connectivity services to the maritime industry.”

FLAT PANEL ANTENNA

In parallel with OneWeb’s maritime launch, Redmond, Wash., based flat panel satellite antenna company Kymeta announced that its electronically steered Peregrine u8 LEO terminal is now commercially available, becoming the first flat panel antenna to serve the maritime market on OneWeb’s LEO network.

Kymeta says its industry-first offering unlocks a new standard of connectivity for maritime customers who require exceptional performance and reliable connectivity at sea where existing networks often don’t reach. Kymeta launched its maritime product line in 2017 and its experience in the market guided the streamlined design of the Peregrine u8 LEO terminal, which is purpose-built for maritime applications.

“Our maritime customers have a unique set of needs, whether that be reliable cyber-security and access to real-time maintenance or connecting to the cloud and streaming their favorite show. That’s why we’ve made it our mission to develop an equally unique solution,” said Walter Berger, president and Co-CEO, Kymeta. “As a proud partner of OneWeb, today marks an exciting day for Kymeta because it represents the fulfillment of our joint commitment to bring to market a low-power, low-profile LEO terminal, built to elevate and modernize maritime communications.”