'Maritime SATCOM Markets, 4th Edition,' by Northern Sky Research (NSR), a maritime industry analyst firm, reports that KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband customers account for 29% of the vessels using Ku-band services, which is more than double the 14% share of the nearest competitor, as of the end of 2015.
KVH’s customers also account for 21% of the vessels using combined C/Ku-band services, with the nearest competitor having a 15% share.
KVH launched mini-VSAT Broadband in 2007, and has steadily grown the service to a dominant position in the maritime VSAT market and the company recently shipped its 6,000th VSAT system.
In 2012, the mini-VSAT Broadband service first became the maritime VSAT market share leader, according to market research reports, and has since reconfirmed that position in subsequent report updates.
“We are thrilled to be recognised by one of the most highly regarded research firms in the satellite communications industry for our success in the maritime VSAT market,” said Martin Kits van Heyningen, KVH’s CEO. “We’ve always listened intently to the market and have continually improved our service to provide our customers with the connectivity and content services they need to meet their high expectations. I’m confident that our innovations in technology, service, and business practices will keep us on the forefront in maritime VSAT.”
With its analysis of quantitative and qualitative factors, the report was claimed to present a complete picture of the maritime market, including trends, issues, and the latest SATCOM developments.
“As connectivity becomes a must-have in the commercial maritime industry, we expect a steady rise in VSAT-connected vessels by 2025,” said Brad Grady, NSR senior analyst, who co-authored the report with NSR analyst Dallas Kasaboski. “For both operations and crew welfare, maritime operators are likely to become more and more reliant on broadband for their vessels.”
The NSR analysts also highlighted an emerging trend toward maritime VSAT service providers developing value-added services and a range of web applications to meet the increasingly complex systems and demands of commercial vessels. The range of web applications likely to be in demand by maritime markets, according to the report, includes apps for streaming media, e-Learning, network configuration, crew calling, and weather.