“The TracPhone V7 and mini-VSAT Broadband are changing the entire way we do business,” explained Scott H. Bryant, captain of the fishing vessel American No.1, operated by Fishermen’s Finest of Seattle, Wa. Operators and leisure boat owners are making the change from traditional VSAT solutions to the TracPhone V7 and mini-VSAT Broadband service from KVH Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq: KVHI). Introduced less than two years ago, this compact satellite communication system recently shipped its 500th system, representing almost 10% of the installed base of maritime VSAT systems based on estimates in the “2008 Maritime VSAT Markets Report” published by COMSYS.
The mini-VSAT Broadband service, along with the KVH TracPhone V7 antenna, comprise an end-to-end 24-inch VSAT hardware, service, and support package available for maritime communications. Working together with its partner, ViaSat, KVH offers Voice over IP phone service and Internet access as fast as 512 Kbps (upload) and 2 Mbps (download) at fixed monthly rates to mariners throughout North America, the Caribbean, the North Atlantic, Europe, the Northern Pacific, and the Persian Gulf as well as to the ViaSat Yonder mobile network for in-flight broadband to business and commercial aircraft.
KVH also recently announced plans for expansion of the service into Asian waters, the Indian Ocean, and the waters surrounding Australia and New Zealand. With the activation of these coverage areas, the mini-VSAT Broadband network will cover the majority of the world’s maritime shipping routes and allow mariners to circumnavigate the globe while never leaving KVH’s service areas.
This combination of features offers competitive advantages previously unavailable to commercial operators. According to Captain Bryant of American No.1, “The super-fast, always-on connection makes it easy for us to communicate with our office on shore and get all the weather updates and other information we need. Having the TracPhone V7 onboard allows us to spend more time doing what we’re out here to do – maximize our daily production!”