Roger Horner is the founder and CEO of e3Systems since 1996. He has been a contributorfor The Islander Magazine since 1997
I hope you had a good break and are rested, relaxed, refueled and ready for 2024.
Was Santa good to you? Did you actually give or receive Crocs with headlights, as per my suggestion last month?
So, we are in another new year. Last year was busy, to say the least, in the satellite communications world. Elon Musk’s launch of Starlink in 2019 followed by the launch of Starlink Maritime in 2022 really gathered pace in 2023, and Starlink increased all their subscribers to over 2 million by the end of the year!
However, not only has Mr Musk disrupted the legacy satellite and 4G/5G communications world, from integrators to operators, as well as the third-party antenna and equipment manufacturers, but he has also rocked the satellite launch industry with the success of his Falcon 9 re-usable rocket launch system. This has now successfully delivered hundreds of satellites to orbit.
We can see the tempo going up another gear this year as one of Starlink’s rivals becomes commercially available globally. Also one of his most serious competitors is set to start beta testing by the end of the year alongside two smaller LEO services.
There are many other new connection technologies surfacing and set to change the dynamics in the communications industry. However, because of the logarithmic growth in the number of connections a vessel can use, it is widening the IT perimeter and as such it is essential these connections are managed and implemented securely. A simple new solution launched at the very end of 2023 is a unique Connectivity Management solution called eHUB. This handles all that is required under one umbrella and can be used with connections from any supplier. Read on…
Technology Predictions for 2024.
A unique Connectivity Management service is available now in 2024.
The eHUB solution is considerably more than another traffic routing box. It does manage all these new connections as well as all the vessel’s existing connections. It also enables traffic routing from WANs to VLANs, as do most other traffic routing boxes. However, the eHub does so much more, and it´s driven from a simple user interface with beautiful and detailed graphics enabling it to be used and understood by everyone from ETO to owner.
In addition, as standard, it includes 24/7 support for all the communications and IT tech on-board from a permanently manned helpdesk. It also includes an automated, remote 24/7 service that conducts a remote health check on every IP device on-board every ten seconds.
One of the many advantages of the eHUB solution is that you will be notified by the eHUB Support Operations Centre (SOC) of any communications equipment failure, often before you know about it on-board.
Another service provided by the eHUB solution is protection against cyber security threats. It provides a cyber incident response to enhance your comfort in the knowledge that, if you are suspicious of anything on your network, you can call the eHUB Cyber Security triage at the eHUB SOC to ask for help and advice. If needed, the triage will escalate the issue to the experts at Templar Executives, the award-winning cyber security consultancy and they will take it from there.
Finally, the eHUB solution provides a native connection to the internet in the UK or the USA as standard, so the yacht can effectively be in the UK or USA wherever it is in the world. In fact, eHUB can be connected to many other countries on request.
What does this mean? It means that all UK or USA services will work on-line as if you are in that country, and you can use apps and web services from that country as if you were there.
Communication Satellite Infrastructure Development in 2024
Rocket Launches
Starship, SpaceX’s giant rocket is getting closer to space and should make it this year as it made significant progress in 2023. The company has conducted multiple prototype tests, with each iteration pushing the boundaries of technological advancement. The recent successes include high-altitude flight tests, controlled landings, and improved test vehicle designs. SpaceX has demonstrated the feasibility of the vehicle’s reusability, which is crucial for reducing the cost of space travel. Additionally, the company has actively pursued advancements in manufacturing techniques, such as utilising stainless steel construction and developing innovative production processes. This commitment to continuous iteration and improvement has positioned SpaceX’s Starship as a promising candidate for the launch of many more and larger satellites and for future interplanetary missions, including human exploration on Mars.
New LEO service that will be commercialised in 2024.
Eutelsat OneWeb LEO is a satellite broadband service that aims to provide global internet coverage in 2024. It utilises a constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to deliver high-speed and low-latency connectivity to remote areas, underserved communities and maritime. By combining the strengths of Eutelsat and OneWeb, this joint venture endeavours to bridge the digital divide between GEO and LEO satellites and enable reliable internet access worldwide. Flat panel terminals are already available from Kymeta using their Peregrin antenna and in early 2024 the Intellian panels will become available for land and maritime use. The twin Intellian dome antenna’s are already available. The airtime offering will be available from Distribution Partners such as e3.
New LEO Service set to Launch in 2024.
Amazon’s Kuiper LEO project is an ambitious initiative aimed at deploying a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation to provide global broadband internet coverage. It’s the same business model employed by Starlink.
The SpaceX Starlink constellation has been growing rapidly since 2019 and already has more than 4,500 active Starlink satellites in orbit, so Kuiper must play catch-up.
The Kuiper vision includes plans to launch 3,236 satellites into space starting this year. These satellites will form a network that enables high-speed, low-latency internet connectivity to underserved communities, connecting people in remote areas, and improving access worldwide. The project’s goal is to deliver affordable and reliable internet services, fostering economic growth, expanding educational opportunities, and facilitating communication on a global scale.
The first two prototype satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper, launched aboard a United Launch Alliance rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Friday, 6th October 2023. In mid-November 2023 Amazon announced they had validated all systems and subsystems on board these satellites by demonstrating the first two-way video call.
Amazon have contracted Arianespace, Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance for up to 83 launches of the Ariane 6, New Glenn and Vulcan Centaur rockets to deploy the 3,236-satellite constellation over the next couple of years. The contracts combined represent the largest single commercial launch order to date.
However, SpaceX has plans to launch 144 times this year, so will be setting the pace.
Kuiper has already developed and launched their flat panel terminals last year at the Satellite 2023 Show in Washington DC. They chose to lay down the gauntlet to Starlink by suggesting a much lower price and better performance than the Starlink terminals. It’s going to be an interesting space to watch!
A new Satellite Cell Service will be launched in 2024.
Starlink’s highly anticipated satellite cellular service will launch this year.
Starlink now has a separate website dedicated to Direct-to-Cell which explains that the SpaceX-engineered cellular service will begin rolling out SMS capabilities in 2024.
We will have to wait until 2025 when voice and data becomes available. Likewise, IoT connectivity will also roll out in 2025.
Starlink is partnering with T-Mobile on the project in the U.S., with Rogers in Canada, with Optus in Australia and with other mobile carriers in Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland. However, once Direct-to-Cell launches, we’ll likely see similar partnerships with other carriers in even more countries.
As a Starlink Authorised Reseller we’ll keep you informed of new developments as the year progresses.
In conclusion, this year there will be more ways of connecting, the cost is likely to go down, and data speed will go up. With speeds increasing, it’s going to be very easy to use too much data and go into expensive overage. Also, due to the increased bandwidth and number of websites, M2M connections and Apps, general use will increase considerably, and hackers will see this as an open invitation, especially if looking at an expensive yacht. So, management of data, control of the multitude of connections and cyber safety are ALL essential parts of your onboard systems.
