Shipmanager E.R. Schiffahrt has agreed a deal to implement KVH VSAT systems on its fleet of container and dry bulk vessels, including TracPhone V7-HTS antenna equipment, under KVH’s AgilePlans subscription-based Connectivity as a Service (CaaS) programme.

MSC Cruises’ new Seaside class cruise ship has set what is thought to be a new maritime VSAT throughput record, achieving bandwidth speeds of more than half a gigabit per second via its Marlink Sealink VSAT system at its service launch ceremony in Monfalcone, Italy, at the end of November.

KVH is set to launch an upgraded version of its mini-VSAT service, utilising Intelsat Epic high throughput satellite (HTS) capacity to boost its network capabilities and deliver up to 10 Mbps connectivity to maritime customers under a range of new plans.

Intelsat has completed the successful launch of its Intelsat 35e satellite, the fourth of the Intelsat EpicNG high throughput satellite series, from Cape Canaveral, Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle.

SES and Gilat Satellite Networks have announced a strategic collaboration to package Gilat’s MarineRay 60P Ku-band maritime VSAT antenna with SES’s satellite capacity, creating a new product within the SES Maritime+ service introduced late last year.

Intelsat 33e, the second of Intelsat’s EpicNG high throughput satellites (HTS), has successfully completed all in-orbit testing and entered service on 29 January 2017, the satellite operator has announced.

OmniAccess has expanded its contract with Telesat, agreeing a deal to add new high throughput satellite (HTS) capacity on Telesat’s Telstar 12 VANTAGE satellite to serve the Caribbean.

VT iDirect reports that it has completed a successful round of over-the-air tests of its latest generation iQ Series remote on the Intelsat 29e satellite, the first in Intelsat’s Epic series of high throughput satellites (HTS).

Panasonic Global Communications and Newtec have unveiled a new high bandwidth satellite modem which will be offered to Panasonic customers with the promise of being able to provide twenty times the bandwidth of Panasonic’s current system.

Thuraya reports that it has finalised its plans for its next generation constellation, which it says will extend its geographical reach and help the company move into new market sectors with additional services and devices.