Marlink has unveiled its new Ku-band VSAT service designed to meet the needs of smaller offshore, merchant and fishing vessels.
Sealink 60 is designed to provide flexible, regional connectivity to vessels seeking to upgrade from L-band services. The service offers clients the choice of two lightweight 60cm antennas with easy installation, available with a choice of service plans, with or without bandwidth guarantees. Sealink 60 can serve vessels in several regional coverage areas, as well as during transit between those areas.
“The introduction of Sealink 60 marks a further evolution of Marlink’s VSAT services, since it will exclusively cater for vessels requiring reduced antenna size and maximum flexibility in terms of coverage and throughput,” said Tore Morten Olsen, president, maritime, Marlink. “We understand that these smaller ships may regularly switch areas of operation or spend planned time in lay-up and we have designed our plans to deliver maximum value to our customers in these markets.”
Users can enjoy unlimited usage with data speeds up to 5Mbps, and a choice of Maximum Information Rate (MIR)-only or combined MIR/Committed Information Rate (CIR) plans. The service can be upgraded from regional to global coverage, with short term bandwidth upgrades and up to six months of lay-up per year also available, to deliver full customer flexibility. Sealink 60 is hybrid-ready, combining the VSAT service with low latency, high-bandwidth terrestrial technologies like 4G to create a resilient hybrid network solution.
Marlink’s onboard digital Xchange server oversees network management for crew and corporate connectivity, with prepaid ‘crew calling’ options for voice, email and web browsing on their own devices. This variety of options allows shipping companies to choose the right package to meet business and crew communication needs on board their vessels.
