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Thuraya unveils Maritime Broadband service

Offering intended to answer industry’s need for cost-effective communications
T. Sanford Jewett, Vice-President of Marketing, Thuraya Telecommunications Company

Thuraya has unveiled a new Maritime Broadband (MBB) service offering, enabling ship owners and managers to enjoy broadband communications. The MBB price plans cater to all types of user requirements and range from unlimited, high-volume usage plans to zero-monthly, low-volume plans convenient for backup purposes.

“Our analysis of the maritime communications market identified a clear need to simplify choice for end users by providing pricing plans that reflect best possible value. MBB from Thuraya MarineComms offers a flexible solution, regardless of whether users are looking for high- or low-volume usage or for a reliable backup,” says T. Sanford Jewett, Director of Marketing at Thuraya.

Thuraya MBB provides standard IP throughput at speeds of up to 444 kbps. The Thuraya network features L-band satellites available to maritime users and dynamic resource allocation to ensure that traffic congestion is minimised in areas of high communications volume, such as major ports or busy shipping lanes.

The price plans are initially available bundled with the Thuraya IP broadband terminal and a Spacecom IP321 antenna. The solution has, reportedly, been proven to be resilient in the harsh conditions of the maritime environment. According to the company, it has been successfully deployed on leisure and commercial vessels for several years and is currently actively used across Thuraya’s satellite coverage footprint.

MBB has been certified to work with value added services provided by Thuraya’s service partners, making it simple to set up optimised e-mail and web browsing, VPN, Voip, instant messaging and M2M applications.