The number of sites and connectivity services utilising the SES Skala Global Platform has more than doubled year-on-year as an increasing number of global service providers have utilised SES’s managed connectivity services delivered via the platform, SES announced today. This consistent growth has resulted in a doubling of data consumed annually over the past two years and a 150% increase in the number of connected sites annually.

Much of the growth seen on the platform is attributed to the maritime industry. Rapid digitalisation in commercial maritime has increased the data-footprint of ships, as operational technologies such as connected condition monitoring and automated technical systems have delivered efficiencies for shipowners. For instance, SES’s automatic beam switching allows the connection of a vessel across satellite footprints without manual intervention or interruptions, almost instantly, and this near real-time capability enhances availability and redundancy for overall planning. The SES Skala Global Platform is also enabling shipowners to cost-effectively scale up and down the services provided by allowing on-demand subscription changes, as their requirements evolve.

Customers include Satcom Global and CSTel in the commercial maritime segment who have been using the platform throughout the pandemic to flexibly and efficiently support crew welfare and critical ship-to-shore communication, while implementing cost-saving operational technologies onboard vessels. Orange, Crosslynx, Marine VSAT, Axess Networks Solutions and Zener Marine all have also signed up to Skala, leveraging its high availability and network diversity to serve their yacht, merchant and fishing customers.

Launched in 2019, the SES Skala Global Platform is an advanced ground system designed to enable high-quality managed data services anywhere in the world. Created to address the needs and requirements of multiple market segments, SES’s partners have leveraged the advantages of the platform’s managed services and appreciated the flexibility offered by the innovative use of API integration as well as the simple subscription management solution to cater to customer demands for different service tiers.

“Skala is delivering frictionless connectivity services to our partners, enabling them to continue to maintain the welfare of their crews and trade efficiently during these very challenging times,” said Simon Gatty Saunt, Vice President of Networks Sales, Europe at SES. “Nothing pleases us more than to hear how our continuous network enhancement, the additions to our coverage and the service-level agreements are delivering new methods of value creation.”

In addition to the maritime industry, enterprises across Asia, Latin America, and Africa have also been using the SES Skala Global Platform to deliver access to cloud and edge services solutions for thousands of sites. The cloud-ready, high-bandwidth data provided by the platform is delivering a cost-efficient and flexible network solution for enterprises located in remote areas with limited or inconsistent ground-based communications infrastructure.