Photo by Louis Vest, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.

[Via Satellite 03-15-2016] Panasonic Avionics’ broadband communications and digital entertainment services are now available to passenger vessels across the maritime market. The company is expanding its capabilities used for In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) to connectivity at sea, serving passengers and crew, as well as communications for ship operations and corporate networking.

Panasonic’s Ku-band satellite network covers more than 98 percent of maritime traffic routes. The company also has a partnership with Kymeta for flat panel antennas for the maritime market.

“Panasonic, in close cooperation with ITC Global, is dedicated to delivering the best in digital entertainment and enterprise quality broadband communications to the maritime industry,” said David Bruner, VP of global communications services at Panasonic Avionics. “We believe our network strategy sets a new standard in connectivity across a wide range of markets including yachts, river cruises and other passenger vessels.”

In February, Panasonic announced multi-year contracts with satellite fleet operators SES and Telesat for High Throughput Satellite (HTS) spot and wide beam Ku-band capacity to supplement its existing HTS capabilities. The agreement helps ensure a broadband experience for Panasonic customers across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, as well as the Mediterranean, Europe and the Middle East. Over the next several years, Panasonic plans to roll out “Extreme High-Throughput” (XTS) capacity in the densest of traffic areas — across North America, Europe and Asia — where these regions will be seeing multiple gigabits of capacity.