Satellite communications giant Intelsat said it will provide communications solutions for maritime customers in Latin America under an agreement with Brazil's Mareste, a privately held firm based in Rio de Janeiro.
Under the agreement, Mareste will provide Ku-band communications services delivered by the Galaxy 28 satellite for the leisure, fishing and coastal sectors in Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.
Mareste will package the satellite services with its Ello product, which includes antennas and hardware, to provide a cost-effective satellite communication system designed to serve smaller coastal and regional vessels, where physical space for onboard equipment and budgets can be scarce or limited.
"With access to Intelsat's satellite fleet and services, Mareste will be able to rapidly grow into a market that has traditionally been underserved," said Márcio Esteves, Mareste's President. "These leisure, fishing and coastal sectors traditionally have been forced to settle for low-speed, expensive connections."
Esteves added, "With faster, more affordable broadband connectivity, Ello will solve the communications challenges for these customers, delivering a cost-effective satellite system that can be easily and rapidly deployed on smaller vessels."
Carmen González-Sanfeliu, Intelsat's Managing Director, Latin America & Caribbean, Sales, said, "Satellites are delivering next generation broadband services to the maritime sector. Intelsat is focused on simplifying the process of acquiring the services and integrating them into existing operations."
Carmen added, "Intelsat makes it easier to access connectivity from across the Intelsat fleet, including the Intelsat EpicNG platform and IntelsatOne Flex for Maritime service. For network operators and service providers, Intelsat delivers accelerated time to market, ensured availability and secure delivery of bandwidth."