Broadband Internet and crystal-clear telephone service is now available to vessels and jets crossing the Pacific Ocean, thanks to the successful rollout of the new Pacific Ocean Region for the mini-VSAT Broadband satellite communications service from KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq: KVHI).

The new coverage area, which includes Alaska, the west coasts of Canada and the United States, Hawaii, and extends into Asia, is the latest milestone in the KVH and ViaSat (Nasdaq: VSAT) joint effort to provide affordable mobile Ku-band broadband connections around the globe. As a result, vessels and planes now have access to uninterrupted Ku-band Internet and voice services from the Asian coast eastward throughout North America and the Caribbean, across the North Atlantic, and all the way through Mediterranean waters. The mini-VSAT Broadband service, along with the KVH TracPhone® V7 antenna, comprise the first end-to-end 24-inch VSAT hardware, service, and support package available for maritime communications. The system offers Voice over IP phone service and Internet access that's as fast as 512 Kbps (upload) and 2 Mbps (download) at fixed monthly rates. The compact TracPhone V7 — 75 percent lighter and 85 percent smaller by volume than traditional 1-meter VSAT antennas — brings a blend of the economy and speed of VSAT communications with lower costs and easier installation to smaller vessels, making the system exceptionally well suited for commercial fishing boats, leisure yachts, government vessels, and commercial operations.