10 October 2012

24 hours is all it takes to get a VSAT up and running, according to the new commitment that Marlink, an Astrium Services company, is making. The established satcom provider has developed a concise antenna installation and commissioning system that will support engineers and crews to have vessels fully connected to Marlink’s WaveCall standardized VSAT service in just 24 hours.

“Through our centrally managed global network of field engineers and service partners, Marlink can have a vessel fully connected on VSAT for voice and data traffic in 24 hours or less,” explains Tore Morten Olsen, CEO of Astrium Services Business Communication, Maritime. “The perceived complexity of VSAT procurement and installation may have been a barrier to some customers in the past, so we have optimised our processes to ensure installation to high standards in a very short timeframe.”

Marlink’s VSAT installation program means that its WaveCall standardized VSAT services can be installed during scheduled port-calls anywhere in the world, without affecting a vessel’s operational schedule. With field engineers all over the world, Marlink is able to board a vessel in port and have the VSAT connectivity up and running in 24 hours, as long as the operator and owner agree to support the process by preparing certain aspects in advance. A customer installation document is used to provide confirmation that all equipment has been delivered, in addition to checking off that preparation of the antenna pedestal, rack mounting, cabling, power and gyro connections has been completed. All Marlink deliveries and installations are completely transparent and over the online portal, customers can track the installation status at all stages.

“We work closely with our customers prior to and after installation, so gaining their support in preparation for the work is usually possible,” continues Olsen. “If they can help us by getting the various aspects ready for our field engineers, we commit to a 24 hour installation period. Customers appreciate the fast turnaround as their vessels get back to work with minimum down time.”