Marlink's latest satellite space segment acquisition on the AMC-21 has enabled the company to provide Ku-band coverage further along the eastern U.S. coast towards New England and further west in the Gulf of Mexico, providing complete coverage through the Panama Canal. Furthermore, signal strength in key areas of the Caribbean has also been increased. Following acquisition of space segment on the Telstar 11N satellite, Marlink is also now providing Ku-band coverage in the North Atlantic Ocean where 30 to 40 percent of all ocean communication occurs. The Teletar 11N is the first satellite to provide Ku-band coverage across the Atlantic Ocean from the Arctic Circle to the equator. The satellite uses 39 high powered Ku-band transponders to support a wide range of video and data applications in North America, Europe, and Africa and across the Atlantic Ocean.
Earlier this year, the Company had announced the renewal of its contract with German cruise company AIDA Cruises. As part of the contract, Marlink is installing Sealink C-band services onboard six existing cruise vessels and two new builds planned for 2010 and 2011. The core focus of Sealink is to provide high quality, cost-effective company internal telephony and public PSTN telephone and GSM carrier services, Administrative ship-shore LAN-LAN services, as well as email and Internet services to enable a strong connection with shore, benefits ship operations, land administration, crew, and passengers. Marlink will provide AIDA with VSAT bandwidth capacity to facilitate both business critical applications as well as the provision of passenger services.