Huge Growth Expected in the Maritime VSAT Sector

Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) services continue to be the communication standard in the maritime sector. VSAT helps in maritime surveillance, vessel tracking, search and rescue operations, and communication between offshore and onshore facilities. The major customers for VSAT services are government agencies, commercial fishing and shipping companies, cruise lines, and offshore oil and gas companies. Market analysts have found that all these industries are actively leveraging maritime VSAT networks, and satellite communication technologies such as Fleet Xpress to help improve ship-to-shore communications, boost productivity, and address guests and crew welfare. 

Projected VSAT Adoption

It has been predicted that the global enterprise VSAT market will grow steadily at a CAGR of almost 10% by 2021. VSAT adoption is projected to double in 2017 in comparison to 2016. The service revenue across the maritime industry will hit $1.5-2 billion by 2017. The maritime communications landscape has changed a lot in the last few years. Today, vessel owners and operators can enjoy high bandwidth broadband connectivity using maritime satellite communication technology, such as Fleet Xpress by Ismarsat, at predictable prices.

HTS Will Make VSAT Service More Affordable

As the demand of VSAT increases among maritime operators, so does the rate of maritime VSAT services. According to figures from comsys, VSAT data rates have skyrocketed in 2013, due to bandwidth-intensive business applications in ships, yachts, and other commercial vessels. With the introduction of High Throughput Satellite (HTS), VSAT services have become affordable for operators.  For end-users, HTS broadband service has lowered the cost of maritime communication. The powerful combination of HTS and maritime VSAT offers unique benefits to the maritime industry.

• Continuous Connectivity: Maritime satellite broadband service delivers high-speed capacity over any maritime route, providing a consistent network experience.
• Guaranteed Performance: HTS combined with VSAT service delivers high-speed connectivity and terrestrial-like performance. Maritime satellite provide committed data rates backed-up by service level agreements, which mean you get what you pay for.
• Controlled Costs: More accurate cost management with flexible packages offered by maritime VSAT service providers, making broadband connectivity more affordable with lower cost terminals.

As HTS capacity comes to market, more and more maritime companies will adopt VSAT services. Apart from basic crew welfare and operational performance of the vessels, maritime VSAT is also being used for weather applications, remote IT services, and electronic port and customs documentation. Therefore, it is important for ship owners and vessel operators to select the right service provider that offers higher capabilities of HTS with VSAT broadband.  When high broadband capacity will be offered to operators at lower price, then maritime VSAT customers will definitely switch to VSAT from L-band, Ku-band or Ka-band satellite services.