FleetBroadband Services

A FleetBroadband terminal only earns its keep once it is installed correctly, activated on airtime, and kept working through the life of the vessel, and none of that is a job for the crew. FleetBroadband services cover the electrical and radio side of the system: installation and commissioning, activation, fault diagnosis, and the software and firmware upkeep that keeps a marine satellite link online.

Installation and Commissioning

Fitting a FleetBroadband set is more than bolting an antenna to the mast. The above-deck unit has to be sited with a clear view of the satellite arc and away from the radar and other emitters that would blind it, the cabling run and terminated properly, and the below-deck terminal integrated with the ship's network and, where relevant, the bridge. Commissioning then proves the link, sets the data routing, and coordinates the SIM and airtime activation through the Inmarsat service provider, without which the hardware stays dark.

Fault-Finding, Repair, and Upkeep

When a link degrades or drops, the cause can sit anywhere from the antenna motors to a firmware fault or a blocked view of the satellite, so a provider traces it rather than swapping boxes. Maker-approved and IACS-recognised technicians handle the repair, the firmware and software updates that keep the terminal current, and the radio survey work the system falls under. Where the fix needs a part, it comes through FleetBroadband spare parts and is fitted and tested by the same team rather than left to the crew.

A dead satellite link strands a crew and cuts the office off from the ship, so it pays to line up a provider before the fault rather than after. Weigh the providers below by service area and class approval, and give priority to the FleetBroadband services that carry maker authorisation and the airtime relationship to bring a dead SIM back to life. Where a terminal is past saving, a replacement from FleetBroadband suppliers is commissioned by the same team.