Elon Musk's Starlink and Dubai's Elcome collaborate to bring internet to the maritime industry.
Elcome International and Starlink have formed a partnership to provide internet services to the maritime industry. Elcome said that the service will connect vessels, such as merchant ships, oil rigs and luxury yachts, to internet speeds that are up to 100 times faster than traditional satellite services. Elcome will give its customers advanced solutions that use the capabilities of Starlink.
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The company said that orders will be fulfilled from Elcome's logistics hubs in Singapore, and Spain, with a variety of installation and support options available. Jimmy Grewal, executive director of Elcome, told The National that they are able to broaden the installed base of Starlink in vessels operating in the Middle East, Mediterranean and Indian Ocean.
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With Starlink's global service available globally in international waters, we have an aggressive plan to leverage our base in the U.S. to bring the benefits of this amazing service to as many customers as possible. Starlink is a satellite constellation service that provides internet access using satellites that are between the heights of 200 km and 2,000 km.
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The Hubble Space Telescope is at 547 km, while the International Space Station is at 408 km. The service has high-speed internet. On a first-come, first-served basis, orders are fulfilled within each coverage area. Satellite internet is a viable option. To have access to the internet using a 5G or any broadband connection, a device must be within range of a cell tower.
The closer a user is to the cell tower, the faster the connection should be. Even in the middle of nowhere, you can get access to the internet with a satellite. In voice and video calls, the delay in conversations is hardly noticeable compared to traditional satellite voice communication systems. The global LEO satellite market is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 17 per cent over the course of the next two decades.
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Even from the most remote waters in the world, users can experience download speeds of up to 350Mbps. The smaller, lighter, simpler and cheaper antennae of Starlink's constellation is a benefit. Starlink's flat, high- performance antennae weighs less than 7 kilogram, is less than 60 square centimetres, and can resist winds of up to 280 km an hour.
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It can be accommodated on a range of vessel types upon which traditional satcom domes are impractical or impossible to install. Starlink can hold up against extreme cold, heat, hail, sleet, heavy rain and gale-force winds, according to its website. There are currently 45 countries where Starlink is available. It is not available in the U.S. The company doesn't know when the service will be available in the country.
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"Come is looking forward to providing the service to more customers in the coming months," Mr. Grewal said. The UK government said last month that it was testing Starlink to see if it could provide better internet access in remote parts of the country.