Shipping companies are more data-hungry than ever before, with the maritime industry using 45% more data than it was in 2021 – with year-on-year demand for data more than doubling in some sectors. As maritime businesses transform, they are also seeing more diverse data requirements than those that existed before the pandemic.

As this need for connectivity accelerates, so too does the need for high-quality broadband to keep vessels connected wherever and whenever necessary. For maritime businesses, digitalisation, decarbonisation, and crew welfare will always be priorities, and all three rely on high quality, constant connectivity.

To meet these demands, Inmarsat, the world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, is launching its new Fleet Xpress product portfolio, to help shipping companies focus on the future. Building on its more than 40 years of experience delivering safety-critical connectivity to vessels around the world, these additions to Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress will help customers ensure they do not pay for more bandwidth than they need, increase transparency around the data that they consume and give business leaders more control over their data usage, helping future-proof their businesses through high-quality connectivity.

Ben Palmer OBE, President, Maritime at Inmarsat: “Launching our all-new Fleet Xpress portfolio to the market has been a long time coming. We have been working hard to create a portfolio that offers what every single maritime business could need. We can help new customers meet their individual vessel’s unique connectivity needs, ensuring that their data is as flexible as their business. For our valued existing customers, the high-quality, global coverage that they already enjoy won’t change – and neither will the 99.9% up-time that they’ve been accustomed to – but they will also benefit from additional insights into their data and more control over their spend and usage. After all, we don’t want any customer paying for data they don’t use.

“For our network of partners, the new Fleet Xpress portfolio offers more accessible entry points for a wider range of new customers, a more linear and iterative upgrade path, and more flexibility to tailor data usage to individual customers’ needs – so they can be the ultimate business partner to their customers. We’re excited to roll out the new additions to Fleet Xpress and to continue delivering the best-in-class connectivity every shipping company needs to navigate their digitalisation journeys in the years ahead.”

As technological innovation in the maritime industry continues to grow, demand for real-time insights, the increasing cost of operations as well as supply chain and geopolitical uncertainty all create challenges for sector leaders.

To address these challenges, the redesigned Fleet Xpress portfolio will offer a modular approach on top of a base connectivity package. This means that businesses of all sizes, across all segments, can flex their data requirements to suit their strategy – without spending more than necessary.

For some businesses this might mean the ability to use massive amounts of data with superfast speeds so that crew members can stream and video call 24/7 – putting their welfare front and centre. For others this might be an entry package enabling email server connectivity with the ability to introduce new features as the business evolves. In both cases, shipping companies will pay only for what they use, with service plans tailored to specific needs.

The new Fleet Xpress portfolio will also introduce a fair access policy and reliable data monitoring via a self-service portal. This gives customers the confidence that they will get the throughput they pay for, are proactively notified when upgrades are needed based on vessels’ increasing digital demands and that they are getting the best value for money and best quality connectivity to meet the objectives of their individual business.