A recent Inmarsat Maritime survey on life at sea stressed the importance of connectivity to modern-day seafarers. It revealed that crew spend as much of their salary on shipboard internet as they do on Wi-Fi at home and that, of the nearly 400 seafarers surveyed, 89% mainly use connectivity to keep in touch with family and friends, with 71% using it specifically for video calls.
Unsurprisingly, these interactions had a positive impact on mental well-being for a significant majority of respondents.
Inmarsat NexusWave is designed to help crew feel more connected with home than ever before. The bonded solution seamlessly integrates Global Xpress Ka-band, low-Earth orbit, LTE, and resilient L-band services, enabling applications to leverage the aggregate speed and capacity of all available networks rather than relying on one service at a time.
This means that crew applications are always connected to the best available network – with no drop-out at handover, and seafarers benefit from fast, reliable, always-on connectivity. During sea trials, NexusWave delivered download speeds of up to 340 megabits per second and upload speeds of up to 80 Mbps.
Alongside unparalleled aggregated speeds, NexusWave achieves an average availability rate exceeding 99.9%. Combined with global coverage and unlimited data, this ensures an always-on connection comparable to shore-based Wi-Fi. Instant messaging and voice- and video-calling services therefore function as smoothly as they do on land, ensuring crew maintain a seamless connection with loved ones wherever the vessel is operating.
Crucially, NexusWave addresses concerns highlighted in Inmarsat’s survey regarding the data-security and -privacy implications of onboard connectivity. With secure-by-design infrastructure, the solution features enterprise-grade firewalls, segregated networks, and end-to-end encryption to protect personal information.
For seafarers, NexusWave makes the vessel feel more like a floating home; and in a fast-evolving industry, this offers owners a competitive edge.
More Information: NexusWave | Inmarsat Maritime
