KVH Expands Mini-VSAT Broadband Network in Brazil and Africa

In the latest stage of its ongoing expansion of the global mini-VSAT Broadband network, KVH Industries, Inc. has more than doubled the network’s capacity in the Brazilian and African regions.

The ongoing global network upgrade involves deployment of Variable Coding, Spreading, and Modulation (VCSM) technology provided by ViaSat, Inc., KVH’s partner in the mini-VSAT Broadband network. This is the third major capacity increase in less than five months, following upgrades in the Caribbean and EMEA regions in late 2012.

“Brazil and Africa are key regions for our customer base, as they are important for both the shipping and oil and gas industries,” explains Brent Bruun, executive vice president of KVH’s mobile broadband group. “The new VCSM technology enables us to handle transmissions much more efficiently, increasing the amount of data that our network can carry, which is important for both safety and business operations onboard. Thanks to our unique, end-to-end design, we can upgrade the software for our large base of fielded TracPhone® V-series systems over the air. This is a future-proof solution that we will continue to improve, adding new features and network enhancements that provide tangible benefits to mini-VSAT Broadband subscribers.”

KVH’s uses a spread spectrum technology, which enables the use of antennas that are 85% smaller than competing products while still providing fast, high quality service. KVH is also designs and manufactures the onboard terminals, owns the Earth station equipment, leases the satellite capacity, manages the network and provides round-the-clock global after-sale support for a total end-to-end solution.

KVH’s business model is another key part of the company’s growth strategy. Rather than investing in its own satellites, the company leverages the readily available commercial FSS satellite capacity covering the world’s oceans, provided by companies like Intelsat, Eutelsat, SES, and SkyPerfect JSAT. Currently, the mini-VSAT Broadband network uses 17 leased transponders to cover the globe with a unique hybrid network including both C-band and Ku-band coverage. KVH’s one meter, dual-mode TracPhone V11 antenna, the world’s only global one meter maritime VSAT solution, seamlessly switches among C- and Ku-band frequencies as easily as the 60 cm TracPhone V7-IP antennas and 37 cm TracPhone V3 antennas switch among Ku-band satellites.

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www.kvh.com