NELCO launches maritime communications services in India

Nelco, India's leading VSAT solutions provider, announced the launch of maritime communication services. Nelco is the first Indian company that will now provide quality broadband services to the maritime sector.

Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and Law & Justice, Government of India, and Anshu Prakash, Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Government of India inaugurated the services.

Maritime Connectivity will enable high-end support to those in sea by providing access to Voice, Data and Video services while traveling on sailing vessels, cruise liners, ships in India, using satellite technology. Nelco through global partnerships, infrastructure including transponder capacity on satellite of ISRO Indian Space Research Organization) and a comprehensive service portfolio will help Energy, Cargo and Cruise vessels by enhancing operational efficiency, improving crew welfare and enabling customer services.

The IFMC licence has not only enabled connectivity for on-board users on ships, but also brings operational efficiencies for shipping companies, which were less evolved until now.

PJ Nath, MD and CEO of NELCO, said: “Nelco is proud to announce the launch of its Maritime Communication services, enabling any maritime vessel sailing in Indian waters to have high quality, uninterrupted access to Broadband Internet. We will also be offering a bouquet of digital services to cater to the needs of the various types of maritime vessels. Going forward we believe that we will be able to fully meet the communication needs of the Maritime Industry with our comprehensive solutions.”

In December 2018, the Government of India announced the licenses for In-flight and Maritime Communications (IFMC) that allows voice and internet services while flying over the Indian skies and sailing in Indian waters, both for international and Indian aircrafts and vessels.

The IFMC license is a key initiative of the Telecom Ministry, a move to liberalise satellite communication services in India. Nelco obtained the IFMC licence and is the first Indian company to enable communication services for the maritime sector in Indian waters.

In the next 24 months, Nelco plans to establish itself as a leader in the maritime communications space by introducing the services to more maritime vessels of the Indian shipping companies, and also facilitating international ships coming to India to use the communication services in Indian waters.