Airbus Defence and Space Doubles VSAT Satellite capacity over the Caribbean

Increased throughput and increased service availability for yacht owners

Airbus Defence and Space has doubled its satellite capacity for users in the Caribbean, in time for the winter season as yachts are transiting back to the Caribbean from the summer season in the Mediterranean.

Vessels sailing along the entire US East Coast and the Caribbean will be able to reach speeds up to 6 Mbps using standard Pharostar VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal).

The additional bandwidth will benefit the hundreds of vessels, specifically leisure and yachting, operating in and transiting the Caribbean with Airbus Defence and Space VSAT onboard. With the recently launched AuroraGlobal portfolio, leisure owners are well prepared for future communications requirements with new HTS (High throughput satellite) satellites becoming available from next year.

The enhanced satellite coverage over the Caribbean consists of multiple satellites beams. As Pharostar VSAT services dynamically switch the connection to the next available satellite, this maximizes the VSAT link availability when the vessel position changes or the VSAT antenna is blocked by external obstacles.

Tore Morten Olsen, Head of Maritime satellite communications activities at Airbus Defence and Space, said: “More and more we see the demand for higher speeds for leisure vessels in Florida and the Caribbean, as almost every person is now coming onboard with their own personal devices wanting to stay in touch on Facebook and Skype, just as they do at home or in the office. With this step we deliver a standardized, easy-to-install and use service, with the necessary high speed and voice quality to keep guests and the crew happy.”