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How to Double Your Superyacht’s Internet Speed at Sea

31 August 2021 By Laura Nicholls for KVH

Being able to endlessly scroll, catch up on TV and tune into the latest playlist are all things most of us relish whilst on holiday in a bid to relax but also stay connected. Being able to access all this and more when on board a superyacht makes it even more enjoyable. Sure, most superyachts already have a good connection, however, those fitted with a future-proof service are the ones to look out for.

According to KVH, the future of surfing the internet while at sea involves the company’s brand-new unlimited high-speed VSAT streaming service. With the likes of a 90-metre Lürssen, 50-metre Westport, 42-metre Benetti, 33-metre Cantiere delle Marche, 35-metre classic 1930s motor yacht and more having already signed up to the firm’s Elite subscription, those at KVH must be on to something.

In order to be future proof, KVH has just doubled the speed of their leading internet solution to speeds of up to 40 Mbps – a mission headed up by Jim George, Vice President of Americas and Global Leisure for KVH, who here describes the step-by-step the firm took to achieve its ambition.

First, listen to the customers

KVH is always listening to its customers and developing products and services to make time on the water even more enjoyable. Because of this, all KVH solutions for maritime leverage the latest technology, from our newest most compact Ku-band VSAT antenna, the TracPhone V30, which can easily be installed on any vessel for strong signal strength and built-in Wi-Fi, up to our V7-HTS and V11-HTS, which enable unlimited streaming with the KVH Elite subscription.

With this kind of equipment, yacht owners are given the chance to spend more time at sea because they are given the same quality of connection as they receive on land, meaning that all those on board can stay connected with their work commitments, family and friends no matter where they are in the world – especially as the trend to visiting remote locations is on the rise. Plus, yacht crew are kept happier and in touch with the outside world. Another trend we have identified at KVH is the need for hybrid solutions that use both an LTE/cellular connection near the shore and a satellite solution offshore.

Then, plan how to utilise your company’s in-house capabilities

KVH is unique in the maritime market because it is a company that conducts all of the design and manufacturing of its satellite communications antennas in-house. With our facilities based in and around our headquarters in Middletown, Rhode Island, we can ensure that the process from the initial design to testing and production is seamless. In this space, we are able to be extremely innovative because we always look to what new technology we can use next, and this is backed by the feedback from our global sales and technical support teams and engineers – these are the people who help to develop the maritime products that provide the fastest data speeds and most reliable satellite connectivity at sea.

A recent achievement is having doubled the speed of the KVH Elite unlimited high-speed VSAT streaming service for superyachts, and we did this by working closely with our satellite partners to engineer the technical advancements needed to make higher speeds a reality. Our mini-VSAT Broadband HTS network utilises Intelsat’s FlexMaritime service to deliver global multi-layered coverage – this is how we have been able to offer vessels multiple high-throughput satellites (HTS) and wide-beam satellites for maximum availability of broadband service.

And finally, plan for the future

The demand for more data is forever increasing. As yacht owners and their guests spend more time at sea, they are enjoying streaming content in their onboard cinema, chilling by the pool or entertaining the children more than ever before. This is why we offer KVH Elite across the world, especially in all the favourite superyacht destinations such as the Caribbean, Mediterranean and New England.

The KVH Elite streaming service uses KVH’s award-winning VSAT antenna systems and is designed for ease of use with simple over-the-air activation that does not require any hardware changes to a yacht’s antenna system or its below-decks control unit. Plus, KVH Elite is a service offered as a fixed weekly or monthly subscription with daily extensions available and the assistance of KVH’s 24/7 concierge team – meaning that our customers’ cruising schedules needn’t be disrupted. Being available anytime and anywhere, with more data and faster data speeds – that’s the future of connectivity!

To find out more about KVH and its services, contact the company directly here: www.kvh.com


Sponsored content written in partnership with KVH. 

 

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