[Satellite TODAY 08-23-10] KVH and ViaSat have expanded KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband network capacity in the North American region by more than 500 percent, the companies announced Aug. 20.
    KVH said it added a full transponder and new spread spectrum waveform to provide more than six times the previously available bandwidth for maritime services over North America, the Gulf of Mexico and Central America. Mini-VSAT Broadband’s global network is now delivered by 11 satellite transponders and eight secure ground stations at speeds 512 kilobits per second upload and 2 megabits per second download.
    KVH Vice President of Satellite Sales Brett Bruun said the additional capacity is especially critical in the Gulf of Mexico, where mini-VSAT-equipped vessels are participating in oil spill recovery efforts. “For mariners looking ahead to their future communication needs, the mini-VSAT Broadband solution offers today what other providers are planning to offer three or four years from now.”