Global satellite communications provider NSSLGlobal ensures that maritime customers receive solutions that cater for all their needs.

As the needs of a vessel and its crew grows, NSSLGlobal is showing that it can provide communications solutions which not only offer the reliability and consistency to match customers' commercial requirements, but that also cater for the personal use of the crew. The RSS Discovery has been fitted with NSSLGlobal's Cruise-IP VSAT service and a FleetBroadband system, ensuring connectivity wherever the vessel travels.

The RSS Discovery is supported by the National Marine Facilities (NMF) Sea Systems branch, based at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS).

The NOCS is the national focus for oceanography in the UK, with a remit to achieve scientific excellence in its own right as one of the world's top five oceanography research institutions. NOCS's mission is a diverse one, ranging from managing the national research vessel fleet and other major facilities, to programmes of strategic research for the Natural Environment Research Council, and academic research and education in ocean and earth sciences in support of the University of Southampton's mission.

The RSS Discovery is a research vessel, based primarily in the Atlantic Ocean, and, whilst the vessel's communications needs are structured around the ship's work, in modern society the need for wider access to the internet, and other lines of communication is an integral factor in deciding the appropriate solution for a vessel; and, as we have seen across land and maritime sectors, the need for reliable broadband connectivity is ever increasing.

The ship employs the "all you can eat" Cruise-IP service, providing broadband coverage via NSSLGlobal's DVBS2-RCS network for a fixed monthly fee, across one of the most comprehensive Ku-Band coverage footprints in the world. Alongside the Cruise-IP system, the RSS Discovery also employs a FleetBroadband FB500 terminal as part of NSSLGlobal's Service Assurance capability, providing seamless operation should the vessel travel outside the Ku-Band footprint.

Antonio Gatti, the Master on-board the RSS Discovery, comments: "The connection is fantastic for our business needs; we now have fundamental business tools, such as live emails and constant connection to the on-shore office, which have made the business processes of the ship much faster and smoother, as well as the ability to engage in the ship's scientific mission as it happens as the broadband connection allows us to monitor equipment and respond to it in real time. We also provide the connection to all the cabins, allowing the crew personal connections; the ability for crew members to access the news, communicate with family and, of course, check the football scores has made a genuine difference to crew members and greatly improved the quality of life on-board the vessel."

Sally-Anne Ray, Commercial Director at NSSLGlobal: "At NSSLGlobal it's our aim to provide communications solutions which give the customer an assured service that is completely suited to their requirements.

As people rely more than ever on the communications links they have in the office or at home, it is important that we are able to provide these links to those whose workplaces are less accessible, without sacrificing the quality of service we are able to deliver. The RSS Discovery is a great example of NSSLGlobal's ability to provide a quality assured service that caters for more than the basic needs of the customer; the combination of Cruise-IP and FleetBroadband gives the best possible coverage guarantee, and the flexibility of the package means that the customer is able to offer their crew a service which will help to bridge the gap between home and the workplace when they are on board."

Satellite communications "only solution" when other media channels cut off by security forces during revolt

London, February, 2011: Satellite communications provider NSSLGlobal is today revealing the part it played in helping to keep the international news supplier the Associated Press (AP) communicating during the Egyptian uprising.

Having worked with the AP for almost a decade NSSLGlobal is well aware of how critical a robust communication solution is in times of crisis and how essential it is that as a trusted provider they are able to provide flexible options quickly, as circumstances in-country change, to ensure uninterrupted service to and from hotspots across the globe.

For 4 years NSSLGlobal has supplied its DVBS2-RCS broadband solution Broad-IP to the AP as an internet back-up in the Middle Eastern and African counties such as Egypt, to keep the multimedia news agency in touch and distributing news. A near global, satellite broadband system, Broad-IP delivers premium voice and data services of up to 4MB to users in areas where the local infrastructure is unreliable or as was the case in Egypt, completely shutdown.

During the Egyptian uprising, government security forces restricted the flow of news from Cairo and the rest of Egypt. To prevent protesters and news networks distributing news, landlines, mobile phone networks and the internet in Egypt were all cut off or disrupted. As a result the AP turned to their satellite communication links as the primary method for communicating information in and out of the country. Fortunately the AP's Broad-IP antenna was located discreetly on the roof of their building, allowing them to keep connected as the situation in Cairo worsened.

As well as enabling the news supplier to send live and packaged video, the AP also used the connection to transmit photographers' stills, written news copy by journalists and radio reports. AP staff also used the Broad-IP system to stay in touch with friends and family outside of Egypt via email, Facebook and Twitter, providing much needed reassurances of their safety.

To help manage this increased usage, NSSLGlobal twice increased the capacity of the Broad-IP connection; first to a dedicated 512/512kbps connection and then a short time later to a 4mbps/1mbps for both upload and download traffic. These package changes were made within hours of the Customer's request and required no manual intervention by the customer or additional hardware.

Steve Moyes, Regional Director Technology EMEA at AP said: "Reporting from the middle of a revolution is a stressful and difficult business. Journalists are taking great risks to put together news pieces and the last thing they want to worry about is whether that news piece can be technically broadcast back to the audience at home. Our satellite connection proved to be essential in maintaining our link to the outside world and NSSLGlobal were quick to respond to the demand for more capacity and greater support. Thanks to our relationship with NSSLGlobal, getting the story out of the country was one less thing for us to worry about."

Sally-Anne Ray, Commercial Director at NSSLGlobal Ltd said: "NSSLGlobal has a long history of working with media organisations around the world during times of natural disaster and political unrest and we are well aware that stable communications and the ability to react quickly to the needs of our customers on the ground is vital not just for business continuity but also to provide friends and family with much needed news about users' health and safety in the field. We are proud to have provided this enhanced service during such an intense period and believe that it shows NSSLGlobal's ongoing goal of providing not only world-class solutions and products but also unparalleled service support and customisation anywhere in the world, regardless of the local conditions."