KVH Foresees Lift from Maritime Broadband Demand

摘要

Satellite maritime hardware and services provider KVH, which is already going toe-to-toe with Inmarsat in winning new broadband subscribers, on March 5 said 2014 is likely to be a breakout year for the entire maritime-broadband sector as new safety and crew-welfare regulations, plus new products entering the market, stimulate demand. Through acquisitions, KVH has assembled a bouquet of assets to provide satellite bandwidth, shipboard hardware, voice and data air time and video programming in a single package. The company said that in 2013 it was market leader in the sale ofVSAT, or very small aperture terminal, broadband satellite terminals to maritime customers. Competitor Inmarsat of London says that it is securing 50 percent or more of the new business. Regardless of which company properly lays claim to the leading position, all agree that the maritime sector is taking off as Maritime Labor Convention laws and regulations mandating digital charts nudge ship owners toward broadband connections.