Marlink Boosts Fleetphone Crew Calling with Free Terminals Added to Offering

Marlink, the largest provider of maritime satellite communications, has announced it will provide a major benefit to customers taking its Inmarsat FleetPhone service, Inmarsat’s latest satellite voice, circuit switched data and SMS messaging system. Marlink will provide a terminal at no cost with each one year subscription to the Universal Card, Vizada’s prepaid solution for private calls and crew data. The system will also have a free crew handset and call blocker which restricts crew to the prepaid traffic.

The Universal Card provides important advantages when attracting new crew to a vessel: It provides crew with one card for cost-effective voice calls and allows complete control over call spending and budget at pre-defined costs. Ship owners can stipulate the level of usage on the card, and any number can be ordered to cover the entire ship’s complement.

The FleetPhone service is available through two equipment options, both of which are provided free of charge. The Oceana 400 enables 5 standard phones or integration into a PBX system. The larger Oceana 800 has integrated Bluetooth, a GPS receiver, providing tracking and instant message reporting via SMS, and the 505 emergency calling feature. The service is simple to install and use, connecting to existing phone systems making it easy for captain or crew to make calls anytime. Additional tools can be added for other daily communication and administration needs.

Marlink provides an exceptionally reliable connection to the satellite service wherever the vessel is in operation globally. Owning its network of land stations in strategic areas of the world Marlink is able to control and monitor the service constantly, providing a robust and powerful communications link. Marlink’s FleetPhone is a highly efficient and now with free terminals, an even more cost effective solution for phone operation on board.