Avoiding Excessive Satellite Charges

During 2009, one the bigger announcements in maritime communications was the launch of the Sailor 150 FleetBroadband, a competitive high-quality solution offering voice and Broadband internet service on Inmarsat’s global broadband I4 satellite network.

Finally, the maritime industry had an affordable hardware solution for accessing satellite fleet broadband. Our belief is there are many more such announcements not too far off in the future for a range of industries and applications. That’s the good news. So is there bad news? Yes, unfortunately the lower cost of the terminal in no way assures lower satellite service charges. Anyone who has ever received one of those shocking satellite bills will surely attest to this simple fact. Deploying any satellite communication system without also establishing a method for controlling the more significant cost drivers is foolish at best.

Knowing this potential problem might put a damper on the party, we set out to create an effective solution that would enable maritime fleet managers to leverage the lower unit cost offered by the SAILOR 150 model, while also assuring far more predictable satellite carrier bills. We call it Intelligent IP Controls, and if you use it, there is far less chance of getting one of those shockingly expensive satellite bills.

Our Intelligent IP Controls is not a radical new idea. IP controls have long been used at the office and enterprise levels, but traditionally have not been implemented at the onboard satellite terminal device, where unintended use is far more common to occur. By locking in customer-specified proper uses, and locking out improper use, abuse and inexperience that typically results expensive hits, carrier charges are more effectively managed.

In short, don’t be afraid to leverage the tremendous benefit satellite communications can deliver in accessing time sensitive critical remote information, especially given the lower terminal costs we expect to see proliferate. Just protect yourself from excessive carrier charges with some intelligence.