Sea Tel has made two significant new announcements, introducing its
Ku- to Ka-band upgradable antenna, the first approved antenna for use
with Inmarsat's forthcoming Global Xpress (GX) service, while also
launching a range of FleetBroadband antennas.
The Sea Tel Model 4012, a one metre Ku-band to Ka-band upgradable
marine-stabilised antenna system, is now expected to be available ahead
of schedule, with sales set to commence during the first quarter of
2012.
Cobham (Sea Tel's parent company) says it will be beta testing the product during the fourth quarter of 2011.
Based on the Sea Tel 4009 antenna pedestal, the company says that the
Model 4012 system will be GX ready at launch, with a "simple and
intuitive" Ku- to Ka- upgrade path that can be performed in the field in
one or two steps by a Cobham trained technician.
The Model 4012 architecture is being designed for one-step
commissioning, using a web user interface with secured socket layer
(SSL) password protection, built-in remote management capabilities, and
integration into network management systems through a media exchange
point (MXP).
“I am confident that the Model 4012 will be the next industry standard
just as the 4009 antenna system is today,” said Fred Cahill, vice
president of Cobham Antenna Systems.
“The 4012 will have the mechanical superiority of the 4009, easy to use
web user interface and monolithic software architecture. The system will
also be field upgradable to the Global Xpress network.”
On the FleetBroadband side, Cobham has announced plans to have a Sea Tel
FX line of FleetBroadband products available in March 2012.
The Sea Tel FX line will consist of a complete range of FleetBroadband
terminals, with the Sea Tel FX 500 being the first to enter the market,
followed by the FX 250 and FX 150 in due course.
The addition of this line of FleetBroadband products to its VSAT
portfolio will also allow Sea Tel to offer all of the hardware for
Ku-band and L-band hybrid services, as well as Global Xpress and L-band
solutions in the future.
The company says that the combined offering of both systems will be made
available through accredited dealers for Sea Tel’s products.
“The unique combination of Cobham’s unrivalled expertise in building
best antenna systems, together with Inmarsat’s undoubted leadership in
the global maritime L-band sector, brings a strong value proposition to
the world’s maritime and shipping markets,” said Mr Cahill.
“We were a key hardware provider at the inception of Inmarsat in 1979
with our Sea Tel products and the new FX product line marks Cobham’s
continued development in this extensive market. This is an exciting
development, in particular because it enables maritime customers to
harness the full range of service opportunities offered by Inmarsat.”
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