Despite how much air traffic there is all around the globe, most international goods are still, quite literally, shipped. On ships. Which represents a huge opportunity for forward-thinking IoT companies.
Enter forward-thinking IoT companies Inmarsat, a global mobile satellite communications services company, and Ericsson, a world leader in communications technology and services. Together, they recently announced a strategic maritime agreement intended to facilitate the sharing of cargo, logistics and vessel operational data to help streamline the entire maritime supply chain.
The two companies will jointly develop services, solutions and applications to drive industry standards for satellite connectivity and application integration in the maritime industry.
As a first step, Ericsson has signed a distribution contract to offer XpressLink, Inmarsat's combined L-band and Ku-band VSAT network for the maritime market and create the new Fleet Xpress connectivity solution. The new strategic relationship will also pave the way for integration between Ericsson's Maritime ICT Cloud and global connectivity delivered over Inmarsat's satellite communications network.
“With Fleet Xpress, the world's first mobile hybrid Ka/L-band high-speed broadband service, embedded in and enabling world-class solutions from Ericsson, we are re-defining maritime connectivity,” said Ronald Spithout, President, Inmarsat Maritime. “This transformational agreement will open up opportunities for vessel operators and managers to capture intelligent data immediately.”
Image via Pixabay
Ericsson's Maritime ICT Cloud is an end-to-end managed cloud solution that connects vessels at sea to shore-based operations including maintenance service providers, customer support centers, fleet/transportation partners, port operations and authorities. With the Inmarsat technology addition, the Maritime ICT Cloud will ensure that trucks will spend less idle time at ports, cargo will spend less time in transit, and producers will be better able to plan their shipments.
“Ericsson believes that the Internet of Things has the potential to generate tremendous value for the maritime industry. Partnering with the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services is the best means of helping the maritime industry to realize this value,” said John Taxgaard, Head of Maritime, Ericsson. “Together with Inmarsat we will jointly develop fully integrated services, solutions and applications, and work toward establishing maritime industry standards for satellite connectivity and application integration.”
Edited by
Kyle Piscioniere
