Maritime Satellite Services: Complete Guide to Ship Connectivity & Communications
L-band MSS terminals, such as Inmarsat FleetBroadband and Iridium Certus, provide global coverage with compact antennas but limited data throughput. Ku-band VSAT (12–18 GHz) has been the maritime workhorse, Ka-band HTS (26–40 GHz) offers higher capacity, while C-band deployments are restricted near shore due to interference and large dish requirements. GEO satellites offer broad coverage with about 600 ms latency, while LEO Iridium NEXT, a 66-satellite constellation upgraded 2017–2019, provides true global L-band coverage and was recognized as a GMDSS provider in 2020. SpaceX Starlink and OneWeb have emerged as disruptive LEO players in maritime, with Starlink signing on nearly