Maritime industry to get web and phone access

GLOBAL - A new satellite service is designed to promote ship operations efficiency, expand on-board business to more closely reflect the home office, and boost crew morale.

Around-the-clock broadband service is under development for the maritime industry, according to an announcement Tuesday by Telenor Satellite Services, which plans to provide seamless global roaming starting in the fourth quarter.

The service, called OceanRoam, will enable data and voice communications using ships' assigned IP addresses and telephone numbers and will connect to ships regardless of their location

OceanRoam incorporates technology developed by Comtech EF Data and includes a bandwidth and capacity management system. Comtech's products configure, control, and monitor the satellite network. Telenor said the service is built on dynamically managed Single Channel Per Carrier (dSCPC) and automatic application switching technologies. The service cuts operating expenses significantly.