[SatNews] This exhaustive report reveals some interesting facts about maritime VSAT intentions...

Stark Moore Macmillan, a specialist maritime marketing agency, and VT iDirect, Inc. (iDirect), a company of VT Systems, Inc. (VT Systems) have released the results from the largest and most comprehensive maritime VSAT survey ever undertaken. The survey revealed that up to 30 percent of current non-VSAT users planned to conduct trials of VSAT within the next 24 months. Among other key findings was an indication that establishing a clear business case for VSAT would encourage greater adoption among shipping operators. The survey measured the drivers and barriers of VSAT’s expansion in the commercial shipping sector by interviewing IT Managers, Fleet and Technical Managers, CIOs, and CTOs at 60 shipping companies, representing approximately 5,500 vessels, or 13 percent of the world’s commercial trading fleet of 1,000GT or over. The key findings included....

• Approximately 30 percent of the available market is considering VSAT within the next 24 months. Demand for VSAT services in the commercial maritime sector has increased significantly in the last five years and the survey indicates that this trend will continue
• Companies not considering VSAT cited cost as the primary barrier to adopting the technology. The survey provided insight into ship owners and operators’ weaknesses in quantifying the cross-business benefits that VSAT has brought, and can bring, to their organizations. The survey indicates that, if provided with the necessary tools and methodology to accurately evaluate cost savings and efficiencies derived from improved communications, a business case for VSAT can clearly be found and ship operators are prepared to make substantial investments in VSAT technology
• Nearly 80 percent of participants believe that VSAT enables access to new enterprise software applications that improve operational efficiency and business processes. The most popular applications being implemented or considered include enterprise resource planning, remote IT solutions, Sharepoint/Citrix collaboration tools, weather routing and video conferencing

The in-depth telephone survey measured both quantitatively and qualitatively:

• Knowledge and understanding of VSAT systems and networks within the shipping community
• Maritime VSAT market and its potential – both from existing and potential VSAT user perspectives
• Drivers and barriers to evaluating/fitting VSAT
• Comparative expenditure of VSAT versus other communications systems
• VSAT purchasing behavior and decision making of ship operators

To download the VSAT: Present & Future: A comprehensive survey of maritime VSAT whitepaper please visit.