KVH triples mini-VSAT Broadband Network capacity in South America

by KVH Industries on 12 Nov 2014 KVH Industries, Inc. announced major capacity increases for its mini-VSAT Broadband network at the OilComm conference in Houston, TX. The capacity upgrades on key South American beams have resulted in as much as three times the forward and return link capacity for KVH’s maritime VSAT customers in the area.

One upgrade has boosted coverage and performance for several key markets in Brazil: the oil and gas industry, whose major production and exploration activities are centered offshore; tugboat and push boat traffic along the Amazon River, transporting everything from oil barges to fish, cattle, and more; and the growing international tourism industry along the Amazon River. An additional upgrade has boosted coverage and performance for markets in other parts of South America, including: the salmon fishing industry in southern Chile; global merchant vessels in major ports on the Pacific coast of South America; and the mining industry throughout the continent.

'Increased merchant activity in South America is dependent on satellite communications to optimize operational efficiency and also help vessels increase their safety and security by means of connectivity from remote locations,' says Brent Bruun, executive vice president of KVH’s Mobile Broadband Group. 'With mini-VSAT Broadband coverage addressing offshore waters and major rivers inland, such as the Amazon and the Parana, vessels now have a safer, more secure way to transport people, equipment, and finished goods within this large continent.'

KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband network is the dominant player in the global maritime VSAT market, with twice the market share of its closest competitor, according to a 2014 industry report by Euroconsult. KVH and its technology partner, ViaSat, Inc., (Nasdaq: VSAT), use ArcLight spread spectrum technology to deliver fast broadband service, with Internet download speeds up to 4 Mbps.

The mini-VSAT Broadband network covers 100% of the global maritime market through a combination of 19 Ku-band transponders and three C-band beams. KVH has built this global infrastructure by leasing available commercial satellite capacity, rather than investing in its own satellites, leading to lower costs and better prices for customers. Designed exclusively for the mini-VSAT Broadband network, KVH’s unique TracPhone V-IP satellite communications antenna systems are built 85% smaller than typical VSAT antennas to install more easily in all vessels. Antenna sizes range from the 37 cm (14.5 inch) diameter TracPhone V3-IP, to the 60 cm (24 inch) diameter TracPhone V7-IP, and the 1.1 meter (42.5 inch) diameter TracPhone V11-IP.

The expansion of the mini-VSAT Broadband network in South America follows network upgrades in other parts of the globe and supports KVH’s recently introduced IP-MobileCast content delivery service. This multicasting service uses the mini-VSAT Broadband network already streaming into more than 4,000 onboard terminals worldwide to deliver a separate data stream of commercially licensed news, sports, entertainment, and training content – improving quality of life for crews aboard commercial vessels – as well as operational data such as electronic chart updates and weather KVH is continually improving and enhancing the mini-VSAT Broadband network, and has a coverage expansion planned for Canada in the coming weeks.