KVH Launches New High-speed Maritime Network on Intelsat EpicNG Satellites
Teams with leading satellite operator Intelsat to deliver expanded global Ku-band coverage
MIDDLETOWN, RI, and LUXEMBOURG, October 31, 2017 – KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq: KVHI), today announced the launch of its next-generation, advanced maritime broadband network, joined by service partner, Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I). Slated for commercial availability next month, KVH’s high-speed overlay to its current mini-VSAT BroadbandSM service is expected to triple, and in some cases increase by a multiple of six, the data speeds for its maritime customers.
At the core of its capabilities, KVH’s advanced maritime broadband network will incorporate Intelsat EpicNG satellite services and the award-winning IntelsatOne Flex platform, a global managed service designed to optimize bandwidth allocations and provide flexible coverage where it is needed. KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband network is also expected to benefit from increased Asian satellite capacity from SKY Perfect JSAT.
At launch, KVH will have the largest maritime Ku-band network offering speeds as fast as 10 Mbps to each terminal. Each Intelsat EpicNG satellite has 25-60 Gbps of capacity, which is expected to deliver a major performance enhancement for KVH subscribers. KVH’s enhanced service is designed to enable significant improvements in business productivity in the commercial maritime world, and enrich the onboard experience for superyachts and recreational boats.
“Intelsat has been instrumental in helping us develop the advances to our mini-VSAT Broadband service, continuing the positive working relationship we’ve had for many years,” says Brent Bruun, KVH chief operating officer. “We expect to provide our maritime customers with increased data speeds at the same price points as our current service, while offering unparalleled coverage on a global basis. We just celebrated the 10th anniversary of our market-leading VSAT solution, and, with this new evolution of our mini-VSAT Broadband network, we believe KVH is continuing to set the pace for maritime satellite communications.”
The new, advanced mini-VSAT Broadband network will include southern Atlantic and southern Indian Ocean capacity, which is the primary driver for an expansion of KVH’s already industry-leading Ku-band coverage by 25 million square miles.
“Broadband connectivity is transforming how the maritime sector operates. We built upon our leading maritime broadband infrastructure by designing the Intelsat EpicNG platform and IntelsatOne Flex for Maritime services to support our maritime customers’ growth objectives,” says Mark Rasmussen, Intelsat’s vice president and general manager, mobility. “We have simplified the integration of high-performance broadband services into a network and made bandwidth management easier. KVH, as the inaugural partner for IntelsatOne Flex for Maritime, plans to use our global maritime fabric to unlock new and larger applications for their end users while also providing the same high-quality broadband service wherever operations take them.”
KVH’s previously fielded base of TracPhone V7-IP mini-VSAT Broadband systems is easily upgradeable to take advantage of the higher network speeds and improved global coverage of the advanced network. However, existing customers do not need to upgrade if they don’t need the higher speeds and improved coverage.
KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband service provides a complete end-to-end solution for the maritime market, including: global connectivity; TracPhone® V7-HTS and the TracPhone V-IP series satellite antenna systems; the KVH OneCareTM service and support program; the innovative IP-MobileCastTM content delivery service; award-winning VideotelTM maritime training programs, which are in use on more than 12,000 commercial vessels globally; and, crew welfare content, including the NEWSlinkTM daily news service in use on more than 9,000 vessels worldwide.
Note to Editors: For more information about KVH’s advanced maritime network, please visit the mini-VSAT Broadband website, www.kvh.com/limitless. High-resolution images of KVH products are available at the KVH Press Room Image Library, www.kvh.com/press-room/image-library.
About Intelsat
Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I) operates the world’s first Globalized Network, delivering high-quality, cost-effective video and broadband services anywhere in the world. Intelsat’s Globalized Network combines the world’s largest satellite backbone with terrestrial infrastructure, managed services, and an open, interoperable architecture to enable customers to drive revenue and reach through a new generation of network services. Thousands of organizations serving billions of people worldwide rely on Intelsat to provide ubiquitous broadband connectivity, multi-format video broadcasting, secure satellite communications, and seamless mobility services. The end result is an entirely new world, one that allows us to envision the impossible, connect without boundaries, and transform the ways in which we live. For more information, visit Intelsat, www.intelsat.com.
About SKY Perfect JSAT
SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation is a leader in the converging fields of broadcasting and communications. It is Asia’s largest satellite operator with a fleet of 17 satellites, and Japan’s only provider of both multi-channel pay TV broadcasting and satellite communications services. SKY Perfect JSAT’s satellite communications services, which cover Japan and the rest of Asia, as well as Oceania, Russia, Middle East, Hawaii, and North America, play a vital role in supporting safety, security, and convenience. For more information, visit SKY Perfect JSAT, www.sptvjsat.com, and JSAT, www.jsat.net.
About KVH Industries, Inc.
KVH Industries is a leading provider of in-motion satellite TV and communications systems, having designed, manufactured, and sold more than 200,000 mobile satellite antennas for applications on vessels and vehicles. KVH is also a leading news, music, and entertainment content provider to many industries including maritime, retail, and leisure. Videotel, a KVH company, is a market-leading provider of training films, computer-based training, and eLearning for the maritime industry. KVH is based in Middletown, RI, with research, development, and manufacturing operations in Middletown, RI, and Tinley Park, IL. The company’s global presence includes offices in Belgium, Brazil, Cyprus, Denmark, Hong Kong, India, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. For example, forward-looking statements include statements regarding expected data speeds over our new network, the expected date of commercial availability, the timing of global expansion, including in Asia, expected benefits to KVH customers, expected pricing of our new service, the expected level of coverage availability, the ease of upgradeability and the need to upgrade customer systems. Actual results could differ materially from the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Factors that might cause these differences include, but are not limited to: unanticipated technical and other challenges that arise during the launch of the new system; potential levels of customer demand for data services beyond our current expectations, which could exceed system capabilities in certain regions; unanticipated technical, legal and regulatory delays with the launch of the new service; competition for satellite capacity, which over time could increase our costs and decrease service availability; unanticipated expenses; the speed and scope of customer migration to the new system; and the period we expect to maintain our existing mini-VSAT Broadband network, after which customers will need to upgrade to the new system. These and other factors are discussed in more detail in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 4, 2017. Copies are available through our Investor Relations department and website, http://investors.kvh.com. We do not assume any obligation to update our forward-looking statements to reflect new information and developments.
KVH, TracPhone, KVH OneCare, IP-MobileCast, Videotel, and NEWSlink are trademarks of KVH Industries, Inc. mini-VSAT Broadband is a service mark of KVH Industries, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies.
For further information, please contact:
Jill Connors
Media Relations Manager
KVH Industries, Inc.
+1 401 851 3824
[email protected]