OmniAccess has expanded its network coverage in the remote French Polynesian islands in the Pacific Ocean. As a result, for the first time charter yachts, private yachts and commercial vessels cruising in the region can now benefit from high quality uninterrupted broadband connectivity via the high speed OmniAccess BroadBEAM ULTRA VSAT service.
The news follows the company’s investment into the opening of a high-capacity network on the Intelsat 18 satellite that first became operational in November 2011. This provides the capacity to enable enhanced broadband internet coverage and network services via Ku-band coverage platform over French Polynesia.
When cruising among these remote islands in the South Pacific, connection speeds of up to 20Mbps can now be achieved via the OmniAccess BroadBEAM ULTRA service. As a result, charter yachts, private and commercial vessels can enjoy a real broadband experience at sea with applications such as Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) streaming, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), videoconferencing and cloud computing.
Previously internet connectivity has been extremely limited due to only one satellite, with limited bandwidth, covering the region.
Carlos Carbajal, Managing Director of Yacht Services at OmniAccess, said: “Our new network on the unique beam of the Intelsat 18 satellite offers unparalleled coverage with unprecedented power and ideal elevation. It provides a significant improvement to the internet connectivity enjoyed by those in French Polynesia and will revolutionise the internet experience of those cruising in the region.”
OmniAccess is also able to offer its BroadBEAM compact service to sailing yachts or motor yachts with limited deck space and reduced size antennas as a result of the investment into the new high capacity network. High bandwidth can now be supplied in small and lightweight 60cm antennas.