Inmarsat
Launches
FleetBroadband
150
11
May
2009
Inmarsat
plc
nnounced
the
launch
of
its
new
FleetBroadband
150
service.
Developed
for
the
leisure,
fishing,
coastal
merchant
and
small
defense
vessel
markets,
FleetBroadband
150
(FB150)
is
the
world?s
smallest,
lightest,
fastest
global
maritime
service.
For
the
leisure
market,
FB150
offers
a
simple
and
cost-effective
way
to
stay
connected
by
phone,
SMS
or
email
when
sailing.
It
offers
a
voice
connection
at
landline
quality,
accessible
simultaneously
with
Internet-capable
IP
data
at
150kbps
and
simple-to-use
SMS.
Above-deck
equipment
measures
around
20cm
in
diameter
and
weighs
only
4.5-9lbs,
ensuring
a
quick
and
easy
installation.
FB150
connects
to a
standard
PC
and
supports
off-the-shelf
applications.
?The
emphasis
is
on
compactness,
outstanding
performance
and
simplicity,?
said
Piers
Cunningham,
Maritime
Business
Director,
Inmarsat.
?Our
long-term
development
plan
for
FleetBroadband
was
to
take
all
the
benefits
of
our
proven
network
and
construct
a
low-cost
package
targeting
small
maritime
vessels
and
boats.
For
the
first
time,
FB150
brings
large
vessel
connectivity
to
smaller
boats?.
Inmarsat
has
optimized
the
new
entry-level
service
to
address
the
needs
of
smaller
vessels
with
lower
data
requirements.
FB150
provides
owners
and
operators
of
leisure
craft
with
the
assurance
of a
reliable
connection,
no
matter
what
their
position.
As
an
IP-based
service,
FB150
works
with
the
same
standard
home/office
software
that
most
leisure
users
will
know.
?FB150
opens
up a
new
world
for
leisure
vessel
owners,?
said
Cunningham.
?When
at
sea,
users
can
now
access
the
same
email,
Internet
browsing
or
online
services
that
they?re
familiar
with.
For
the
weekend
mariner,
being
far
from
shore
no
longer
means
being
isolated?.
For
smaller
fishing
vessels,
operating
in a
competitive
market,
FB150
enable
access
to
the
same
online
weather
updates
and
fishing
resources
as
their
larger
competition.
?FleetBroadband
has
already
demonstrated
its
value
in
the
fisheries
sector,
and
with
FB150
we
can
now
bring
these
same
benefits
to
smaller
fishing
boats,?
said
Cunningham.
?We
have
designed
FB150
to
pack
the
most
functionality
into
the
smallest
possible
above-deck
unit,
and
at a
cost
that
addresses
the
price
sensitivity
of
the
fishing
market?.
?We
promised
to
deliver
a
sub-$5000
terminal
for
small
vessels,
and
we
have
delivered
on
time
and
on
specification.
FB150
is
everything
we
promised,?
he
said.
?FB150
will
become
the
Mini-M
of
the
21st
Century,
but
more
powerful
and
available
globally,?
said
Cunningham.
?We
introduced
Mini-M
in
the
mid-1990s
to
deliver
very
high
quality
voice
to a
range
of
vessels,
from
large
merchant
ships
to
fishing
vessels
and
weekend
leisure
craft.
It
has
been
used
by
hundreds
of
thousands
of
seafarers,
and
is
still
actively
used
on
many
thousands
of
vessels.
Mini-M
was
small
on
equipment
size
and
cost,
two
major
factors
in
its
success,
and
we
see
FB150
as a
natural
successor
that
builds
on
that
with
a
powerful
global
service?.
FB150
hardware
is
manufactured
by
AddValue
and
Thrane
&
Thrane.
The
service
will
be
available
through
Inmarsat?s
network
of
distribution
partners
and
service
providers.
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