Articles about satellite phones, equipment and satellite communications.
Inmarsat, Iridium, Thuraya, Globalstar
Satellite Internet and Telephony on a Vessel
Internet and communication at sea can often be vital. In everyday work, high-quality communication and internet at sea will help work more productively and efficiently, and in critical moments it can save human lives.
Below we will look at the most popular options for satellite equipment for vessels from Iridium and Inmarsat, as the two main satellite communication operators in the world.
Iridium Pilot
In the Iridium lineup for the sea there is not much equipment. Let’s look at the most popular and universal one — the Iridium Pilot. It is used both on private small yachts and on small and medium commercial vessels. It stands out for its simplicity of installation (install-connect-it works) and flexible configuration. A fairly extensive tariff grid allows you to choose a tariff plan for any type of use.
Simplicity of installation and configuration, reliability and good tariff plans are the main reasons why the Pilot is quite popular both for internet and communication on private yachts and on steamships and commercial vessels.
The Iridium Pilot provides the vessel with internet at speeds up to 134 kbit/s and three independent telephone lines. Device management and diagnostics are carried out through a convenient web interface, where you can also restrict access and configure the device according to your needs if necessary. Another important advantage of the Iridium Pilot is 100% global coverage and the same tariffs in all regions.
Inmarsat Sailor FleetBroadband
Compared to Iridium, Inmarsat has a fairly wide selection of satellite communication equipment for the sea. But the main and most popular ones are the Sailor series (150, 250, 500, etc.). From the Sailor lineup, it is not difficult to choose the necessary equipment even for the most demanding customer. Depending on the type, Inmarsat Sailor supports from 1 to 16 independent telephone lines, with the ability to connect a mini-PBX, fax transmission, internet access at speeds from 150 kbps to 256 kbps (again, depending on the type), VPN, data streaming, ISDN, simultaneous data and voice transmission, remote access to the terminal, and more.
Although the Sailor series is considered professional equipment, installation and configuration do not require any special knowledge. Also, all FleetBroadband series equipment has an integrated DHCP/NAT router, which makes setup and usage control simple and convenient.
Choosing what you need is often difficult due to the fairly wide selection and many nuances. If you are looking for satellite internet for a vessel or a satellite phone at sea — contact us in any convenient way, and we will select the optimal equipment option specifically for your needs.
New devices for use at sea based on Iridium Certus have been announced. Read more.