SIMIC

"The need to embrace collaborative ways of working means addressing how to design a VSAT [very small aperture terminal] network and its components from the ground up, and even considering buying a network as a service," said Marlink president of maritime Tore Morten Olsen.

"Vessel operators recognise that to achieve best practice and standardization it may be easier to buy than build," said Mr Olsen.

"Network solutions have evolved over time from on/off to always-on, supporting a growing number of devices demanding higher uptime and increased levels of security," said Mr Olsen.

Mr Olsen also explained the importance of a growth in collaboration tools.

"The next game-changer is the growth in collaboration tools whose performance relies on reducing communications latency to the greatest degree possible," said Mr Olsen.

"The potential efficiency gains that accrue from such tools extend from remote offices to the vessels that are required to perform specialised tasks in harsh environments," said Mr Olsen.

A network solutions provider needs to add value to communications technology.

"There are different categories of urgency and owners need to plan and prioritise the traffic in a particular data stream," said Mr Olsen.

"The core differentiator is whether operators are using a connectivity service with a guaranteed bandwidth level which accommodates data needs and uptime or one that provides 'best effort'," said Mr Olsen.

Satellite networks are built to serve multiple markets and are not optimized for maritime alone.

"The need for standardised collaboration tools will test the performance boundaries of geostationary satellite constellations unless it is designed from the ground up with tasks and applications in mind," said Mr Olsen.

"The next game-changer is the growth in collaboration tools whose performance relies on reducing communications latency. Efficiency of the network can be designed to reflect priority applications and support remote operations, a direction in which customers are already moving," said Mr Olsen.

An optimized network can maintain onboard IT systems in compliance with regulations.