Marlink and Intelsat Expand Partnership to Provide More Bandwidth Capacity to Maritime Customers

The smart network company Marlink has expanded its partnership with Intelsat to provide increased Ku and C-band satellite connectivity to maritime customers in the cruise and merchant shipping sectors.
Intelsat will assign capacity to the Marlink network, providing a unique level of coverage in waters as far south as Antarctica, as well as ocean regions around Africa and the Middle East, under the terms of the agreement.

Marlink will get the extra capacity from a variety of sources, including Intelsat's high-throughput satellites.

As the cruise industry resumes operations following COVID, an increase in demand for digital services is driving bandwidth usage; polar cruise itineraries are expanding, with specialized vessels operating in more extreme and remote locations, carrying passengers with high connectivity demands. Simultaneously, increased vessel traffic, such as cargo, ice-breaking, enforcement, survey, and supply ships, raises the demand for high-quality bandwidth.

Marlink and Intelsat have a long history of collaboration in mobile maritime connectivity, with Intelsat providing Ku-band GEO capacity to the Marlink hybrid network for over two decades, serving as a cornerstone of Marlink's hybrid VSAT network.