Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat company, has signed an agreement with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) to upgrade its fleet from Fleet Xpress (FX) service to Inmarsat’s NexusWave. This fleet-wide transition to NexusWave will allow MOL to benefit from Inmarsat’s fully managed bonded connectivity service and accelerate the digitalisation strategy of the leading Japanese shipping company. Local Inmarsat partner JSAT MOBILE Communications will be responsible for implementing and supporting the upgrades on board, covering a fleet that includes liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, oil tankers, and car carriers.
In response to evolving operational and crew connectivity needs, MOL is seeking multi-layered satellite communications services that support the transformation of its vessels into floating offices and homes. By combining multiple network underlays in one bonded connection, Inmarsat NexusWave delivers the speeds, reliability, unlimited data, and global coverage to support this objective, with enterprise-grade cyber-security, round-the-clock technical support, and fully transparent costs ensuring complete peace of mind.
Junichi Yoshiyama, Chief Digital & Information Officer, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd., said: “Our digitalised and connected ships are becoming floating operations centres and homes for our crew, and Inmarsat’s NexusWave will help keep them connected to high-speed internet and support our onboard digitalisation strategy.”
Ben Palmer, President, Inmarsat Maritime, said: “We are proud to continue our partnership with MOL and to deliver NexusWave as an accelerator of maritime digitalisation and, by extension, an enabler of the floating office and floating home. Forward-thinking operators like MOL are drawn to the solution for its performance, robust capabilities, and the confidence that comes from working with a reliable maritime connectivity partner.”
Katsuaki Koike, CEO of JSAT MOBILE Communications, added: “MOL, JSAT, and Inmarsat have been long-term partners, and this collaboration further underscores our commitment to providing cutting-edge connectivity solutions. We are dedicated to supporting MOL’s digital transformation journey and look forward to ensuring seamless and reliable installations across MOL vessels.”
In recent real-world tests, NexusWave achieved download speeds of up to 330–340 Mbps, upload speeds of up to 70–80 Mbps, with average network availability exceeding 99.9%. As part of Inmarsat’s commitment to continuous improvement, the forthcoming integration of the next-generation ultra-high capacity, high-speed ViaSat-3 Ka-band network promises to increase NexusWave’s aggregated connectivity speeds even further.
