Winter is upon us in Mallorca and many vessels are now out of the water and being upgraded, refitted and repainted ready for next season. Decisions on what to fit and replacing old tech with new – in a period of unprecedented development – are a top priority.
What To Choose?
In the meantime, lots of yachts are crossing the pond heading for the sunnier climes of the Caribbean season. Similar conversations were held prior to departure; What back-up do I need when I cross and what will be the connectivity outlook when we arrive?
Both scenarios require planning and in some cases, a leap of faith moving from the old to the new. In our risk-averse sector, some conventional VSAT domes are being dusted off and restarted for the Atlantic trip, possibly for the last time as the new LEO services develop and become available.
As we have reported in other The Islander articles, the options open to boats for superfast internet are widening. Starlink continues to dominate and will, probably for some time yet, provide the best bang-for-buck when it comes to size, cost and speed. It’s the back-up options where things get interesting.
The VSAT domes that are ubiquitous on all the large vessels are now, in most cases, surplus to requirement, as they no longer provide the service for which they were once purchased. The slow speeds plus the bulk of the antennas are a world away from the new LEO systems. If you need a back-up for Starlink, then it’s GSM for coastal and the new LEO network from OneWeb when at sea.
The OneWeb service now comes fully equipped with small, affordable and easy to install flat panel antennas and the latest OW10 antenna from our old friend Intellian is even smaller than the Starlink Maritime panel. Not only is it small, easy to fit and an ideal replacement for those VSAT domes – especially on sailing yachts – it can also use the existing cabling left by the VSAT systems, making the installation fast and clean, even with masts in place. It is an option seriously worth considering prior to summer 2025, with remarkably low-cost airtime options that again demonstrate that conventional VSAT pricing is a thing of the past. Do contact us at e3 Systems for further detail.
An Entertainment Revolution
Looking ahead to 2025, there will likely be many changes. Starlink will continue to develop their service – most likely filling the large gaps between the data allowance packages available – and even faster data. New LEO services such as Amazon’s Kuiper and Rivada networks will start launching satellites very soon. OneWeb will continue to gain traction and be installed in greater numbers, particularly to cover Turkey where Starlink do not allow services and finally, there will be a revolution in TV and entertainment services on boats.
Due to the big changes in data speeds, vessels can now access more entertainment content than ever before. These super-fast internet speeds mean that in some cases, boats are now better served than residential and business users ashore. Who could have predicted that?!
With fewer compromises to what you can do or see, vessels now have the speeds and capacity to access whatever they wish through IPTV, although the fly in the ointment with IPTV has always been licensing and regulation – and regional rules and laws meant that IPTV services, especially sport could not be accessed legally.
At e3 Systems, we are pleased to say that in 2025, we will officially be offering Sky Stream TV services that can be accessed globally. Simply hook up your Starlink, OneWeb or GSM service to our eHub connectivity device and we can plug you into Sky’s live sports coverage from wherever you are – and with no more worrying about satellite footprints.
This technology will allow you to watch Formula 1, Rugby, Tennis, Golf and of course Premier League football (and much more) wherever and whenever you want to. This was unthinkable until the advent of LEO services – and now it looks like TV services have got the memo about the globality of satellite communications. Of course, we have all heard about vessels connecting to IPTV through under-the-counter Firesticks, but in using e3 Systems to access live sports, you can do this from a fully authorised source. In many cases, this will also lead to the obsolescence of the TVRO.
Starlink to Increase Services
As stated earlier, we expect Starlink to continue to improve its services ahead of the competition coming down the tracks – and we can expect faster speeds and smaller antennas in the near future. Starlink has been in the news again recently regarding D2D (Direct to Device) services, where they beam their service directly into your Smartphone. There are many other companies exploring this idea and initially, it will possibly be limited to emergency calls, but we have all seen how quickly the company can improve and roll out its services.
The smaller Starlink antennas will be in the form of Starlink Mini, a low-cost, very small antenna unit which should be available to the Maritime market in the next few months. Speeds will be slower, but at around 100Mbps (still a speed to make a conventional VSAT weep) and at the size of a small laptop, it will be a gamechanger for many boats – particularly those of 15-25m that predominantly cruise coastal waters. Not lost on Starlink, there are many thousands of these…
We can also expect to see further tinkering of the geo-fencing of the standard Starlink antenna – more typically known as the ‘RV’, affecting the viability of the ROAM service at sea. Restrictions in the use of the RV were briefly in place in Autumn 2024, causing great uproar on various Starlink forums – although they had never had it so good – before being rescinded.
We can expect that as the offerings through their various products develop, the restrictions on the RV will return and that it might have to become what it says on the tin – something to finally take its rightful place atop your VW Combi…
Finally, in such a geopolitically hot environment, it will be interesting to see the influence that this could have regarding coverage in some currently restricted areas; will Turkey finally become an authorized region for coverage? Will the Middle East ports have service? Qatar came online recently with rumours of UAE next…
There is a lot going on as we move into 2025 and in the meantime, we at e3 Systems wish all our readers and clients a very Happy Christmas and New Year!
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