MTN (News - Alert) Satellite Communications (MTN), a provider of communications, connectivity, and content services to remote locations, has announced a new product: StreamXcel Plus.

Designed to provide a suite of tools permitting vessel owners to perfect their ship’s satellite voice and data traffic, StreamXcel Plus is a new integrated hardware and software solution for managing shipboard satellite communications.

Vessels operating on MTN’s Ku-band satellite coverage have global, seamless connectivity, and access to un-contended bandwidth. The introduction of StreamXcel Plus provides vessels with automatic switching capabilities to Inmarsat (News - Alert) Fleet Broadband (FBB) whenever the vessel moves outside the Ku-band beams for “Always On – Always Available” communications, said company officials.

“We are introducing StreamXcel Plus to meet the emerging requirements for greater integration of shipboard and shoreside communication and IT networks, as well as improved crew morale services,” said Bradford C. Briggs, senior vice president for commercial shipping and energy services at MTN.

The company can now provide a cost-effective solution that combines both VSAT and FBB voice and data to create a complete, optimized satellite communications network, Briggs said.

StreamXcel Plus provides vessels with two separate onboard corporate and crew morale communication networks. Company officials said that the corporate network comes with two voice lines, data and Internet access over VSAT with FBB as a backup communications system. Moreover, StreamXcel Plus also provides VSAT bandwidth data compression and satellite optimization.

The crew morale communications network offers two voice lines using MTN’s OceanPhone stored value calling plans and Wi-Fi Internet access. With MTN’s crew calling and Internet billing platform, crewmembers can purchase calling and Internet services.

With StreamXcel Plus, the bandwidth required to support the crew morale communications network does not interfere with the corporate bandwidth, said company officials.

StreamXcel Plus includes a wide range of tools. Company officials said that these tools help the shipping company manage its ship-to-shore voice and data links, data compression, remote administration of servers and computers on board, and anti-virus, anti-spam and content filtering. 

Earlier last month, Hellespont Ship Management GmbH & Co. KG signed a 36-month agreement with MTN and Maritime Broadband.