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Inmarsat VLA Plans for Fleet Broadband: Fleet Broadband vs VSAT

Written by John Dark | Aug 11, 2011 5:22:00 PM
Inmarsat VLA satellite airtime plans offer a tremendous value for any heavy maritime data and voice user – cruise ships, maritime transport, oil rigs, or yachts for example. Designed to compete with VSAT airtime, but using the more affordable and deck-friendly Fleet Broadband 500 hardware, Inmarsat VLA plans offer the best of both worlds to satellite data customers.

These plans could give you, your passengers, or your crew the luxury of VSAT service with all of the advantages of Fleet Broadband.

There are two plans available. An allowance of 10GB/month standard IP data usage runs around $3,000 to $4,000 per month depending on package, both with guaranteed prices for a three-year term.?This gives an effective price as low as $0.25 USD per GB; much less than competing services. Volume discounts are available for fleet purchasers with more than 30 active units.? Both plans charge around $0.39 USD/minute using Fleet voice calling.

Compatible VOIP service using the GMN webXaccelerator satellite router can offer voice calls for substantially less. The GMN webXaccelerator also offers compression which can effectively triple or quadruple the amount of data throughput.

Inmarsat VLA plans require the use of a Fleet Broadband 500 and GMN webXaccelerator or other Inmarsat-approved satellite router. Fleet managers can purchase the hardware or lease the equipment to avoid any upfront hardware cost and capital expenditure.

Inmarsat VLA Required Hardware






GMN offers VLA plans with low hardware pricing for purchase or for lease. Customers with existing Fleet Broadband 500 equipment may use their own equipment.

Inmarsat VLA Plan Advantages


Low airtime pricing



    • 30 cents/megabyte for data

    • 39 cents/minute for Inmarsat voice calls


Uses Fleet Broadband 500 hardware



    • Much more affordable than VSAT equipmentSmall footprint on deck

    • Easy to install


Enabled by GMN webXaccelerator satellite router



    • Full satellite router functions give you control over your usage

    • Least-cost routing

    • On-the-fly load-balancing and failover

    • Provides Access Control for Crew Morale calling, email and controlled Internet access

    • Internet Caf?


Inmarsat Fleet Broadband Service



    • Fast, reliable satellite data and voice service

    • Uniform, Global Billing

    • Worldwide Coverage


 

VSAT vs. Fleet Broadband – Advantage Inmarsat



    • Comparable or lower airtime pricing to VSAT service

    • Comparable or faster data speeds to VSAT service

    • Much more affordable hardware

    • Less deck space required for antennas

    • Worldwide coverage

    • Uniform worldwide billing with no roaming fees– most VSAT plans are regional

    • Easy installation


Inmarsat VLA Service Details


Ship owners can share the allowance between two Fleet Broadband 500 terminals to double throughput or obtain up to 30GB total data access. Users can transfer the commitment terms to another vessel in the same fleet or a new vessel owner.? Inmarsat requires a 36-month commitment, but makes it easy for ships to manage their time by allowing for up to three months inactive time during the term, and early termination is only 6 months worth of fees (not the full remaining commitment). Activation requires ?Inmarsat approval for each individual VLA line.

Some types of data transfers are not permitted. This is where the GMN webXaccelerator comes in: it has the ability to manage data traffic through advanced satellite routing functions. Additionally, it can be used for load-balancing and failover between two or more terminals, creating an Internet Caf? for controlled crew or passenger access and more. Best of all, with shared caching and 3-5X compression for web browsing, you can get an effective usage amount of up to 50GB or 75GB of data.

Inmarsat VLA Blocked file types:



    • Point to Point file sharing such as BitTorrent

    • Unoptimised Commercial VoIP such as Skype (GMN webXaccelerator VOIP is specifically permitted)

    • MP3/4 Downloads

    • Video Downloads

    • Broadcast or point to point streaming such as YouTube

    • Virtual Private Network access

    • Traffic detrimental to the Inmarsat Network


Inmarsat VLA Availability


Inmarsat VLA plans for Fleet Broadband 500 equipment, such as the Thrane & Thrane Sailor 500, is available today from Global Marine Networks.

Inmarsat VLA Purchasing Contact


John Dark

Sr. Director, Sales and Marketing

johndark@globalmarinenet.com

+1 865 379-8723