By
Alex Smith |
Mobile satellite communications provider Inmarsat is to supply its maritime broadband service Fleet Xpress to three Galápagos Islands vessels.
Inmarsat partner Comsatel signed two contracts to provide Fleet Xpress to Quasar Expeditions’ luxury yachts Grace and Evolution, as well as to Kleintours cruise ship Galapágos Legend.
“Passenger demographics are changing, and with younger audiences come greater bandwidth demands,” said Christian Cordoba, maritime channel manager for the Americas at Inmarsat Maritime. “Today’s expedition guests visiting the Galápagos Islands want to share their experiences of this incredible destination on social media, or directly with friends and family, and this requires high data speeds and continuous connectivity. Fleet Xpress is therefore the ideal solution for high-end operators like Quasar Expeditions and Kleintours.”
Alongside guest connectivity, Fleet Xpress offers access to Inmarsat solutions such as Fleet Hotspot, which provides crew members with dedicated bandwidth for online entertainment and communications services without interfering with business-critical operations. Fleet Xpress also includes access to Fleet Connect, enabling Inmarsat’s certified application providers to deliver services to ship operators worldwide via dedicated bandwidth.
“The yachts and cruise ships operating in the Galápagos Islands are luxury vessels that offer guests a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but their onboard connectivity has not always lived up to those high standards,” said Hector Baquerizo, CEO of Comsatel. “Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress delivers a level of performance and a suite of solutions that will change the game for expedition cruise operators in the Galápagos Islands – in terms of both guest experience and crew welfare.”