A good number of our clients tell us they are preparing for a busy summer Med season. It’s becoming clear that owners want to use their yachts, as long as they can get to them. Not surprisingly, they realise they will feel safer on-board in a controlled environment than ashore. We have also heard of many charter yacht fleets expecting a good charter season with many bookings, and some superyachts have charters already confirmed. So, let’s hope there’s a good summer ahead for yachting tourism!
As a result of all this positive feedback, we have been preparing and launching some fantastic new 3G, 4G and 5G services for the season.
Our BIG DATA family develops and grows
Although we have been providing mobile communication services almost since the business started 25 years ago, we only launched the first BIG DATA plan four years ago in Europe with our successful Pay-as-you-Go service. Since then, the family has grown to include BIG DATA Caribbean, BIG DATA Global and now the latest family member BIG DATA USA.
All our BIG DATA plans have been designed specifically for mobile maritime for yachts of any size. They all have an immensely strong backbone of well proven and very flexible features with specific specialities for each area.
- They are all Commercial plans which we have developed using the experience we have developed over 25 years and the feedback which we have received from our clients who have used petabytes of data over that time. We do not pass off personal smartphone “unlimited” plans as being suitable for yachts with numerous users. As a result, our BIG DATA family plans do not suffer from speed restrictions or data limitations.
- We provide three contract options: PAY-as-you-GO, NO LIMITS and Bundles.
- Our PAY-as-you GO plans have no minimum commitment and the NO LIMITS and Bundle services only have a maximum commitment of a month.
- It’s possible to stop using the services at any time. If you want to stop but keep it on standby for an unexpected charter or a surprise visit from the owner, then we also have a Keep Alive option.
- When the season is over, you can suspend the service at no cost, keep the SIM and reactivate when required with the same plan, or a revised plan.
- There are always Backup Networks to stay connected. As you move out of range of one network, it will automatically switch over to another available one.
- There is no SIM swapping required with a single SIM card and only one APN.
- We guarantee there will be no Bill Shock as we block all countries not covered by the service, so you can’t accidentally build up a huge bill unknowingly.
- Only one contract is required for multiple pooled SIMs for fleets and multi-sim routers.
- There is a fully featured on-line Client Portal with Service Management Tools for live on-line usage reports and self-directed usage limiting.
- There are e3 HYBRID discounts which are available to clients who use all our services. For example, in Europe, we provide 800GB per month free to our VSAT clients, and similarly in the USA we provide 60GB per month free to our VSAT clients.
- We provide a manned 24/7 Support Operations Centre (SOC) for all our BIG DATA clients and Active Support that automatically conducts a remote health check on all IP devices on-board every 15 secs, 24 hours a day.
- Administration is made easy with our single monthly invoice system with secure payment routines available using our PCIDSS compliant on-line credit card payment via our client portal.
New and updated BIG DATA Europe
Europe’s cruising grounds are ideal locations for using 3G and 4G as most countries now have extensive networks around their coast lines.
For this summer we are offering two new BIG DATA plans for Europe.
The first is our NO LIMITS plan. This is the best plan to have during the busy part of the season. It is a fixed price per month plan for either a single SIM or up to 4 SIMs. There are NO LIMITS to data usage, data speed or length of commitment. However, the unique point about this service is that if you have a quiet month and you use less than 200GB you only get charged for the number of GBs used rather than having to pay the larger NO LIMITS monthly fee. If you use less, you pay less! You are not always committed to the fixed monthly fee and paying for the GBs you don’t use!
The second is our updated PAY-as-you-GO plan which has infinite flexibility. This year it is very simple with a single fixed rate from the first GB to the last with all the flexible BIG DATA features as described.
These plans can also be interchanged as required.
New BIG DATA USA for 2021
This is the new member of the family. The unique feature is that is works on all three of the major networks Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T across the USA and US Virgin Islands. It can be used as a PAY-as-you-GO service or you can purchase fixed data Bundles at a set GB rate.
BIG DATA Caribbean
The 3G and 4G service in the Caribbean varies from island to island after the infrastructure has been built and rebuilt after hurricanes. Our BIG DATA service in the Caribbean has received a lot of compliments this current season. The success is partially attributed to the backup up networks in each country that can be used when out of range. Just one SIM card provides complete coverage of the Caribbean islands, USA and Mexico.
BIG DATA Global
The BIG DATA GLOBAL service covers even more countries. It covers Europe, North America, Caribbean, Mexico and over 40 islands and countries in the rest of the world including Asia, Australasia and the Pacific islands.
Our BIG DATA family is the only unified global solution and any yacht, whether based around the Med or a world girdler, could make use of one or all the services and rest assured that they have the most reliable and flexible service available with on-line management from anywhere in the world.
And for those with local cruising itineraries we have all the local national services too! Spain only or Bahamas only? But that’s a whole new story…….
Meet Pablo Galarza, the Manager of our Support Operations Centre.
I am the son of restless parents who love to travel. I was born in Pointe Noire in 1977 and spent most of my childhood living in Congo, Guadalajara and the Philippines until the family settled in Madrid when I was 8.
I completed University studies and graduated as a Telecommunications Engineer and my first position in satellite communications was as a NOC Support Engineer for Global IP (STM Group).
I have always been involved and engaged with the maritime market, and when EMC acquired the STM group in 2013 I was appointed as a Project Manager for all types of vessels (offshore, fishing, yachting, cruise ships). This gave me the chance to travel and visit a fair number of vessels which I greatly enjoyed and made me learn quickly. Then I was promoted to the Service department to work on the design of new systems and products for maritime VSAT communications.
I made the move to Palma to join the e3 team as a Support Engineer in 2015. I had worked before with Danny Remkes, our Engineering Manager, and was happy to have an opportunity to work with him again.
Mallorca has really made a big impact on my quality of life. I love the island with its mix of nationalities and all the perks of living in a smaller city. Being able to go for a walk and a drink in the Paseo Marítimo after work is amazing, and something I could not enjoy in Madrid.
My career was also impacted for the better after moving to e3 Systems. It is a privilege to work in a company which has managed to be at the pinnacle of communications technology for 25 years. The team is extremely supportive and are excellent professionals.
The fact that e3 is a medium-size company rather than a big corporation allows us engineers to be involved with a wider array of technologies and participate in other processes such as pre-sale or post-sale interactions with the customer, resulting in a very rich professional experience.
What I like most about e3 is that it is an independent company, not tied to a specific provider and is technology agnostic. This allows us to provide the best advice to our customers based on their necessities and the solutions available in the market. It allows us to be flexible and imaginative.
I love helping people, solving mysteries, and doing puzzles, so being the manager of the SOC suits me perfectly. We try to give a close and personal support promoting direct access from the crew to the e3 engineers that are solving the problems.
For my personal time I have a few hobbies, the biggest one is painting and collecting miniatures and models. I am a big fan of playing wargames and historical battles on the board. But I also enjoy more mundane things like watching a football game or just having a good meal with friends. I like to keep things simple and easy and apply the same standard to my life.
Roger Horner
For further info on e3 VSAT and SUPER DATA
e3 systems
+34 971 404 208
