Inmarsat Global Limited - Experts & Thought Leaders

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” LINE) and Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat company, are pleased to announce that “K” LINE will conduct a trial of Inmarsat Maritime's new bonded network service NexusWave on “K” LINE's fleet. NexusWave seamlessly integrates multiple high-speed networks in real-time to enable high-speed, always-on ship-to-shore communications, thereby enhancing digitalisation of ship operation and environmental response, as well as the welfare of seafarers. The implementation of these trials will start this month. Design infrastructure NexusWave is a unique bonded multi-dimensional network, designed to offer high-speed connectivity Launched in May this year, NexusWave is a unique bonded multi-dimensional network, designed to offer high-speed connectivity, unlimited data, global coverage, and ‘secure by design’ infrastructure for office-like and home-like experiences.  The service integrates globally reliable Global Xpress (GX) Ka-band, low-Earth orbit (LEO) services, and as-available coastal LTE service – enhanced by an L-band layer for resiliency, to deliver fast, always-on connectivity. NexusWave also features enterprise grade firewall security. ViaSat-3 Ka-band satellites Akihiro Fujimaru, Managing Executive Officer of “K” LINE, said: "In recent years, there has been an increase in data transmission to enhance safety and quality. As such, we require connectivity services that are fast, reliable and global. Furthermore, high-speed internet connectivity will greatly contribute to reforms to onboard workstyles and automated ship navigation." Akihiro Fujimaru adds, "Maintaining connections with family and friends is quite crucial for preserving the well-being of our crew. NexusWave promises to fulfil these needs well into the future, especially with the anticipated service launch of the high-capacity ViaSat-3 Ka-band satellites. This technology will also bolster our digitalisation initiatives moving forward." “K” LINE’s commitment Ben Palmer OBE, President of Inmarsat Maritime, commented: "We are honoured that a pioneering global shipping operator has chosen to trial NexusWave on its fleet. Our partnership with “K” LINE is focused on delivering robust and reliable connectivity solutions that support its operational success and meet “K” LINE's long-term strategic needs." Ben Palmer OBE adds, "Its early adoption of our high-capacity global service highlights the strategic foresight of “K” LINE’s commitment to leveraging advanced technology to sustain and enhance its competitive edge."

Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat company, has announced that global container liner shipping group Hapag-Lloyd is among the first to trial NexusWave, the fully managed service that delivers an unparalleled global service orchestrated by bringing together a multi-orbit, multi-band set of connectivity networks as a single network solution.  The trials align with the Hamburg-headquartered shipping group’s requirement for a robust connectivity solution that is capable of meeting increasing communications and security demands, and rising expectations for business and crew communications. NexusWave solution Unique among maritime communications options, the NexusWave solution delivers an “office-like” and “home-like” experience that’s always connected, without having to worry about usage, quota, or speeds by curating various services onboard the vessel to the needs of the owner-operator while providing full transparency on the total cost of ownership, an all-in-one, frictionless solution. NexusWave also offers an upgrade path to the ViaSat-3 network. High-speed Internet connections The crew will be able to access IT services previously only available onshore A series of owner-operator trials aim to verify the way reliable high-speed Internet connections allow critical enterprise/IT functions to move to the cloud instead of maintaining them on vessels so that shipboard personnel can align with office-based colleagues. The crew will be able to access IT services previously only available onshore. Seamless integration Patrick Briest, Senior Director IT – Network & Operations, Hapag-Lloyd, commented, “With NexusWave, our vessels can transform into floating offices, seamlessly integrated with onshore and cloud-based IT systems." "This advancement in connectivity will allow us to further streamline operations through cloud-based solutions, achieving significant cost savings and enhancing crew IT services to match onshore experiences.” SD-WAN technology With business and crew welfare channels maintained separately, the service also enhances crew connectivity Specifically designed to meet customer objectives, the NexusWave service leverages SD-WAN technology to provide intelligent traffic bonding and prioritisation to ensure that mission-critical operations are continuously connected, while also supporting services based on video streaming such as remote inspections. With business and crew welfare channels maintained separately, the service also enhances crew connectivity. Secure, and robust communication NexusWave is designed with security at its core, encrypting traffic at the vessel level and protecting it with advanced enterprise-grade infrastructure, trusted by enterprises and governments worldwide. Gert-Jan Panken, VP of Sales, Inmarsat Maritime, highlighted the strategic value of the NexusWave solution for Hapag-Lloyd, stating, “With NexusWave enhanced connectivity, we can provide our customers with a seamless, secure, and robust communication environment that transforms maritime operations. We are committed to continuing to provide solutions that not only meet but exceed the expectations and needs of our valued customers like Hapag-Lloyd: ensuring their operations are efficient and future-ready.”

There is much discussion amongst telecommunications companies about the automation journey of networks, and rightly so because artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and pressure on carriers to increase margins from connectivity while protecting prices, are proving powerful agents for change in their market. Impact of hybrid connectivity However, there’s one other development that is not receiving enough attention, and that’s the impact of hybrid connectivity - the bonding of networks. Here, Tristan Wood, UK MD of Livewire Digital, explains why this could prove in the maritime sector (in fact, in most others too) to be the biggest disrupter of all. Multiple networks and route traffic The cost of airtime has always been an important consideration for the user A PwC industry survey in 2023 cited that nearly half of the telecom CEOs polled worldwide predicted existential threats unless their companies adapted to the changing market. Add that other B2B operators are rapidly moving into the connectivity space and it’s easy to see why the battle for revenue could get nasty. At present, the dominant broadband communications in maritime remains satellite, and yet the cost of airtime has always been an important consideration for the user. This is where true hybrid comes in, the ability to bond multiple networks and route traffic via the most effective network. NexusWave Enter Inmarsat’s newly launched NexusWave, a “unified multi-dimensional network, delivering high-speed service, unlimited data, and global coverage at sea – all through a single provider.” This combines the traditional GEO satellite connectivity with more cost-effective and efficient services, such as Low Earth Orbit satellite (LEO) with terrestrial LTE cellular services when within range of coastal cell sites. Generative AI tools But let the company return for a moment to where it started, which is autonomy on the networks because this seems to be where so many telecom companies are putting much of their efforts.  These are a new generation of networks that use generative AI tools to self-monitor their operations and resolve technical issues, on-demand and beyond pre-defined design bounds. Undoubtedly this could revolutionise the telephony and the connectivity markets on a level never seen before. Automating tasks A key factor is how quickly the established players – and the less established ‘disrupters’ – will be in implementing Whatever the pace of take-up, the pathway from networks that automate tasks within pre-defined limits – Level 3 autonomy – to networks that can adapt to the unknown – Level 5 – is inevitable. A key factor is how quickly the established players – and the less established ‘disrupters’ – will be in implementing it, and to what extent. Manual maintenance and monitoring According to TM Forum, the global industry association for service providers and their suppliers, most telcos (84%) are not even at Level 3 autonomy for their networks, which means they are somewhere between manual maintenance and monitoring at one end, and closed-loop operations with partial and selective artificial intelligence (AI) in very specific environments at the other. According to the Capgemini Research Institute, most telcos aspire to reach at least Level 3 autonomy by 2028. Why does all this matter? With autonomy, come benefits, not just in terms of quality of service (QoS) and experience (QoE), but also commercially. Through various autonomous network initiatives implemented over the past two years, many telcos worldwide have harvested improvements in operational performance, by as much as 20%, and operational expenditure (Op Ex) by 18%. The economics alone stack up. Adaptive and dynamic network For telcos embracing satellite and cellular, or any other networks in their proposition, the benefits will be even greater The company simply doesn’t have time to go into the technical detail of implementing autonomy, be it fixed line, cellular, or satellite network, but the broad principles will be pretty adjacent. These may include customer-facing conditions such as subscriber churn and behaviour predictive analysis, predictive maintenance, network slice optimisation (i.e., customising their networks for different applications and customers), adaptive and dynamic network policies, and network failure prediction, among many others. Taken together, however, the benefits can and indeed should be enormous. However, for those telcos embracing satellite and cellular, or indeed any other networks in their proposition, the benefits will be even greater. Which leads us nicely back to hybrid. Welcome to a three-dimensional world So far, the company has been talking about introducing autonomy in a vertical sense, across a linear network, whether on land it may be a fibre or 5G, for instance. As the company has already seen, introducing AI and automation into national networks like these at scale, is a colossal enough task on its own, notwithstanding the additional challenge that many if not most countries class networks as critical national infrastructure (CNI), meaning that stability and compliance are not just good to have, they are legal obligations. However, if the company are talking about true hybrid connections, not just failover and redundancy, which are not the same things and have few of the benefits of hybrid - then the company are moving conceptually from the vertical integration of autonomy to the three-dimensional. Seamless connection At its core, true hybrid networks become ‘heterogenous’ – turning a single bonded connection - fixed line, cellular, satellite, emergency services network, whatever the underlay or infrastructure – into one seamless connection. The benefits of which, for the user, are off the grid. In short, with true hybrid, the company are talking about ubiquitous, always-on, guaranteed connectivity, and intelligent management of physical, virtual and financial resources to suit an almost limitless range of conditions. In government and business-critical environments, this is even more important because lives and livelihoods could be at stake as well. And as Inmarsat’s NexusWave shows, the maritime sector will be amongst the first to cash in on the benefits. It's Hybrid but not as users know it This architecture creates a virtual overlay that bonds underlying private or public WAN connections Central to hybrid is SD-WAN - a technology that uses software-defined networking concepts to distribute network traffic across a wide area network, or WAN. This architecture creates a virtual overlay that bonds underlying private or public WAN connections, such as fibre, wireless, satellite, or cellular. As a result, hybrid SD-WAN networking can agnostically combine and transition between these networks. In this way, multiple network technologies are able to work seamlessly together, actively sharing the load and resources, by combining, and binding together a potentially unlimited variety of bearers into a single ‘pipe’. Optimise performance and reduce costs Delivering a faster and, crucially, more reliable service, a hybrid platform adapts to a range of potential variables, depending upon each bearer’s performance and any other environmental conditions affecting it, to optimise performance and reduce costs. Similar to how voice calls are routed for minimum cost, settings in a hybrid environment can be adjusted to use the most cost-effective option, like prioritising cellular over satellite if it works well enough. This saves money by making the best use of the most cost-effective capacity.  Future connectivity services The same approach should be taken for QoS to ensure important applications perform well despite limited network capacity and changing bandwidth and latency. Being able to integrate existing with future connectivity services is a powerful proposition that can enable more efficient systems, workflows, and people, and there are many underlying communication technologies willing to pick up this baton. Addressing coverage, bandwidth, reliability, and cost No single network service can address the exponential demand for seamless connectivity Despite recent advances in telecommunications technology - from 5G and disruptive low-cost LEO satellite services – no single network service can address the exponential demand for seamless connectivity on the move.  Nor is there any provider that can offer a single comprehensive solution that can address coverage, bandwidth, reliability, and most importantly cost. Monetisation of hybrid is coming The concept of agnostically making use of any carrier network, based on location, cost, or quality of service, should dramatically reduce the impact of the problem, and yet awareness and the application of ‘bonding’ hybrid technology are nowhere near where they should be as machines and people demand ever faster ‘always-on’ connectivity. The market opportunities are seemingly unlimited for the adoption of true hybrid. Designed to meet the challenges presented by a fast-moving train traveling through different areas of network coverage, smart networking enables a dynamic connection through various operators using a range of underlying communication technologies such as 3G, 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi, and satellite. Intelligent connection Many other industries spanning defence, space exploration, connected and autonomous vehicles, emergency services, telehealth, cloud-based HPC, as well as AI and machine learning, require more than just connectivity; they demand an "intelligent connection." This unstoppable process is ushering in significant opportunities for telecommunications companies (and OEMs, and many other technology-driven enterprises besides) to revolutionise their operations, and the same applies to consumer services.  Automation and AI Wider applications of automation and AI in many other realms of life are forcing players to scale up and/or hasten From connected, intelligent and software-defined vehicle manufacture to aircraft as a service, smart aircraft and mobility, the speed of change and the wider application of automation and AI in many other realms of life are forcing players to scale up and/or hasten increasing horizontal consolidation of the sector. In short, hybrid is here to stay, and users can read a free report on this very subject of how telcos could be impacted. At the crest of the wave As mentioned earlier, maritime operators have long been exposed to an ever-greater need for both data and speed of connection onboard their vessels, running in parallel with the problem of ensuring ubiquitous connectivity regardless of location. Couple this with the challenge of security and efficiency of communications and it’s easy to see why the history of maritime connectivity has been beset with multiple, fragmented systems and data caps, limited speeds, and patchy coverage, not to mention the growing need to counter cyber-attack. Inmarsat’s NexusWave meets all these challenges, and sitting at the heart of this is RazorLink, a British invention already in use on land in defence, first responder, and commercial sectors, which uses SD-WAN to bond, control and harmonise maritime network connectivity, efficiency, and cost. So, what’s the issue here for telecommunication companies? Big money will eventually follow the adoption of true hybrid. If true hybrid enables customers to be network agnostic, which it does, then everything is up for grabs But if enterprises large and small are following B2B service providers who bundle connectivity with their services such as desktop management and enterprise mobility; cloud-based solutions and software as a service (SaaS), the market risks even greater fragmentation. If true hybrid enables customers to be network agnostic, which it does, then everything is up for grabs. Embedding true hybrid and cash Surely, it makes sense for telcos to make the first move and to do so early before others move into this space.  While they are at such a crucial pivot point for the survival of their business models, it makes sense for telecommunication companies to embed true hybrid and cash in on the huge market opportunities it brings with it.

Aiming to establish minimum requirements for the cyber-resilience of newbuild vessels and their connected systems, IACS unified requirements (URs) E26 and E27 provide a new benchmark for shipping’s response to its growing exposure to cyber-attacks. Officially in force from 1 July 2024 and broadly welcomed by industry, the new URs represent another step forward in strengthening Maritime's resilience to the evolving cyber threat. However, according to a thought-provoking discussion recently hosted by Edwin Lampert, Executive Editor of Riviera in partnership with Inmarsat Maritime (a Viasat company), shipping companies must still conduct comprehensive risk assessments and implement appropriate mitigation measures. Vessel’s cyber security They ensure all stakeholders are responsible for the vessel’s cyber security Kostas Grivas, Information Security Officer, Angelicoussis Group told the ‘IACS URs E26 & E27: Bridging the gap between regulation and implementation’ session that the URs bring “obvious benefits” such as eliminating “scattered requirements”. They provide “common and crystal-clear ground for auditing and control purposes”, and establish “a solid description of the minimum technical, procedural, and other criteria that govern a vessel’s cyber resilience,” he said. Finally, they ensure “all stakeholders are responsible for the vessel’s cyber security”. Makiko Tani, Deputy Manager, Cyber Security at classification society ClassNK, also acknowledged that the new requirements will “contribute to the visibility of ever-digitalising shipboard networks and their assets”, however, as there is no one-size-fits all cybersecurity solution to all, she continued, “additional controls beyond those specified in the requirements may be necessary, depending on the vessel’s connectivity”. Digital transformation strategy To properly address the cyber risks that a specific vessel is exposed to, she said, “shipowners must conduct a thorough cyber-risk assessment. This relies on a ‘C-level commitment’ to establishing a cyber-security programme that facilitates compliance with URs E26 and E27 and any other future industry requirements while supporting the organisation’s digital transformation strategy”. The importance of looking beyond the IACS URs was also emphasised by Laurie Eve, Chief of Staff, Inmarsat Maritime, who proposed three key areas where companies should “focus and invest not only to meet new requirements but also to go beyond compliance and build good cyber resilience”. Quality management system and standards The firm should focus on training and grasping, managing user rights, investing in a regime system “The first key area, ‘people and culture’, addresses the notion that people are the weakest link in cyber security. According to a 2023 report from the United States Coast Guard as well as findings from Inmarsat’s security operations centres, phishing is the most common initial access vector in cyber-attacks. Investing in people, therefore, should be an absolute no brainer”, commented Eve. Specifically, he continued, a company should focus on training and awareness, managing user privileges, investing in a quality management system and standards such as ISO 27001, assessing suppliers’ risk-management practices, and embedding cyber-security in the organisation’s continuous improvement culture. Risk-management approach The third and final key area according to Eve is an ‘incident response plan’ (IRP). The second key area is ‘network-connected systems and services’. Given the number of attack surfaces on board a vessel and the ever-growing volumes of data moving between systems, many companies lack the time and resources to address all possible weaknesses. The solution, Eve said, is a risk-management approach in which the organisation assesses the risks, sets its risk appetite, and implements security measures according to the costs it is willing and able to bear. The third and final key area according to Eve is an ‘incident response plan’ (IRP). It’s prudent to assume that at some point there will be failures and a breach, an IRP comprises a robust set of contingencies to keep the cost of business disruption to a minimum. It requires investment in backup and data systems as well as regular staff training. “Having a plan is good; training, rehearsing, and improving the plan is better,” explained Eve. Cyber-security requirements While these recommendations apply to all ship owners, Eve acknowledged that there are differences from small to large operators in terms of the budget and internal capability invested in cyber resilience. “Inmarsat’s Fleet Secure offers a ‘one-stop shop’ for cyber-security requirements which makes it a particularly good fit for “smaller operators without the in-house capability to put together their own solutions”, he said. Inmarsat’s Fleet Secure offers a ‘one-stop shop’ for cyber-security requirements Combining three powerful components – Fleet Secure Endpoint, Fleet Secure Unified Threat Management, and Fleet Secure Cyber Awareness Training – the Fleet Secure portfolio provides the tools and facilitates a risk-management approach, supporting “compliance with the new requirements” and, more broadly, “increasing cyber resilience”, Eve added.