Ericsson, Inmarsat to Streamline Supply Chain
Inmarsat and Ericsson have signed a strategic maritime agreement that is intended to facilitate the sharing of cargo, logistics and vessel operational data to help streamline the maritime supply chain.
The two companies will jointly develop services, solutions and applications to drive industry standards for satellite connectivity and application integration in the maritime industry.
As a first step, Ericsson has signed a distribution contract to offer XpressLink, Inmarsat’s combined L-band and Ku-band VSAT network for the maritime market. XpressLink offers an easy upgrade path to Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress service, powered by the new Global Xpress constellation, when it becomes available in the coming months. It is intended that the distribution agreement with Ericsson will be extended to Fleet Xpress at that time.
The new strategic relationship will also pave the way for integration between Ericsson’s Maritime ICT Cloud and global connectivity delivered over Inmarsat’s satellite communications network, including both Ka and L-band.
Ericsson’s Maritime ICT Cloud is an end-to-end managed cloud solution that connects vessels at sea to shore-based operations including maintenance service providers, customer support centers, fleet/transportation partners, port operations and authorities. Enabled by Inmarsat, the Maritime ICT Cloud will ensure that trucks will spend less idle time at ports, cargo will spend less time in transit, and producers will be better able to plan their shipments.
An example of how the strategic cooperation agreement works in practice was highlighted with the recent announcement of a contract between Ericsson and U-Ming Marine, a leading shipping company specializing in the transportation of cement, dry commodities and industrial raw materials. Ericsson will provide U-Ming Marine with end-to-end connected vessel and voyage optimization solutions, including satellite connectivity from Inmarsat.
Ronald Spithout, President Inmarsat Maritime, says: “With Fleet Xpress, the first mobile hybrid Ka/L-band high-speed broadband service, embedded in and enabling world-class solutions from Ericsson, we are re-defining maritime connectivity. This transformational agreement will open up opportunities for vessel operators and managers to capture intelligent data immediately.
