About us

The need for transparency within the maritime broadband market seems to be a very important issue to a large number of shipping companies and maritime suppliers. The platform Broadband@Sea (‘BB@S’) is supporting this transparency and also aims to increase broadband usage on board seagoing vessels.

Background

The platform is a follow up of the recently finished project BB@S (phase I), containing studies into different applications and precompetitive developments for maritime broadband. The project also developed a cost comparison form and conducted satellite communication trials on board several vessels. The existing group behind the finished project Broadband@sea (phase I) gave their support to continue and take it to the next level. Organizations outside the Netherlands showed their interest during phase I. Therefore the platform is open to accept international partners as well.

set-up

The platform consists of partners that voluntarily cooperate in projects and activities, on technical and commercial basis according to their functionality. Several platform partners have committed themselves to deliver input into upcoming projects. The intention for financing these individual projects are partly by subsidies and partly by industry contributions. The platform can be considered as an integrated partnership of various organizations and acts as consortium. Different organizations are involved as partner of the platform, being ship-owners, shipping companies, maritime suppliers, research organizations, governmental bodies and other maritime (related) organizations.

Upcoming projects

Due to the relative abstract nature of the advantages of maritime broadband it is necessary to elaborate the advantages by researching applications and the use of maritime broadband in order to offset the costs. One of the sequals for the platform is to study several applications so to shed light on the return on investment for the purchase of satellite communication systems to the broadest sense. Another sequal, is to advise parties on opportunities and threats of broadband connections from ship-to-shore (into office networks). Results of the project BB@S phase I contain information to support upcoming projects.

HME takes the responsibility for the overall organization and coordination of the platform Broadband@Sea, including:

·             Marketing and in- & external communication (website, newsletter, media contact)

·             Project management of individual projects

·             Meetings, seminars, workshops

·             Matchmaking between suppliers and shipping companies