High bandwidth, low latency satellite connections are changing the way we communicate at sea. Where a few years ago, a bluewater sailor might have aspired to having a satellite phone for emergencies, it’s now affordable to download weather, send emails and even stream movies on the high seas.
But there is a catch. So-called satellite broadband systems like Starlink can be unreliable and poorly supported. Prices change on a weekly basis and product/service guarantees are more aspirational than binding, according to Ed Wildgoose of bluewater comms specialist MailaSail.
“Starlink is no silver bullet,” he says. “Our advice hasn’t changed in the last 20-30 years. All of this stuff lets you down in various corners – you can get involved in the pub debate about percentages, but a prudent person carries spares with them. Stuff will break!”
Just as it’s wise to have two independent GPS systems and two VHFs, so safety dictates that you don’t put all your trust in a single satellite connection. Take a Starlink-style V-Sat system with you if you want high bandwidth connectivity, but have a fail safe that relies on more robust low frequency L-Band as well, such as Iridium or Inmarsat.
High bandwidth
Starlink is the first to market with a new generation of V-Sat connectivity which offers headline speeds of 40-220 megabits per second (Mbps). But there are others in hot pursuit, including the UK’s OneWeb and Amazon’s Kuiper project. These services are based on a constellation of thousands of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, which make for fast response times.
They can transfer enormous amounts of
