KVH has introduced a new Internet of Things (IoT) ‘Connectivity as a Service’ programme for use over its maritime VSAT network, with Norwegian technology company Kongsberg announced as an initial partner for the service to link to the new Kongsberg Vessel Insight maritime data infrastructure system.
The KVH Watch service is designed to provide a communications platform for remote equipment access and monitoring by maritime equipment manufacturers and IoT application providers.
Two modes are available: Watch Flow, for continuous machine-to-machine data delivery; and Watch Intervention, for on-demand high-speed sessions for remote face-to-face support and remote equipment access.
The system is isolated from the vessel’s primary communications system and will include a dedicated LAN, support for manufacturer VPNs, and multi-factor authentication for remote-controlled access. The monthly subscription fee for the services include access to a dedicated IoT VSAT terminal, data delivery and maintenance, KVH says.
“IoT is essential for maintaining and optimising complex equipment at sea, but until now, equipment manufacturers have lacked an affordable VSAT IoT solution. We followed the successful business model we established with AgilePlans Connectivity as a Service to now offer KVH Watch IoT Connectivity as a Service for one monthly subscription fee,” said Martin Kits van Heyningen, KVH’s Chief Executive Officer.
“Watch Intervention was designed specifically to resolve the problems that IoT remote condition monitoring brings to light. Service visits to ships average $5,000 each, and can be too little, too late. Now, shore-based specialists can solve more challenging issues with equipment on a vessel in real-time.”
Kongsberg Digital will add KVH Watch to its product portfolio following the announcement, to allow users to connect to its Vessel Insight programme to capture and aggregate data from their assets, for transfer to the Cloud.
Once that data is available in the Cloud it can be interfaced with a range of applications and services available through the Kongsberg Kognifai ecosystem.
“Kongsberg offers its Kognifai services to our customers with choices, be it an existing connectivity solution, or an IoT connectivity solution such as KVH Watch,” said Vigleik Takle, senior vice president for maritime digital solutions at Kongsberg Digital.
“Dedicated, end-to-end IoT connectivity with tight integration for monitoring and options for full video bandwidth in periods of remote support will provide customers with higher performance and reliability.”
