Inmarsat has completed the installation of its 10,000th Fleet Xpress system, which is used aboard yachts, fishing boats and passenger ships for connectivity and cybersecurity.
Ship data consumption doubled during 2020, according to the company, with an increasing number of superyacht owners and managers adding the service.
As of December, daily download rates per vessel were about 8 gigabytes, compared to less than 4 gigabytes in mid-2020.
“Covid-19 has brought a major spike in data demand for crew connectivity, and our Fleet Hotspot Wi-Fi solution has gained exceptional traction, but the arrival of Fleet Data as maritime’s first secure and scalable Internet of Things platform has also been pivotal,” Ronald Spithout, president of Inmarsat Marine, stated in a press release. “With 10,000 vessels worldwide now depending on Fleet Xpress 24/7, this is a moment to express our thanks to our end users and our technology, installation, manufacturing and channel partners, and to reflect on 2020 as the tipping point for maritime digitalization.”
Is data use at sea expected to keep growing? Oh, yes. The latest Inmarsat Superyacht Connectivity Report projects a 42 percent increase in large VSAT usage in the next five years, as yachts explore farther and in more remote regions.
For more information, visit: inmarsat.com
