Intellian Products Signal Success

Intellian is the leading global provider of stabilized marine satellite antenna systems, the critical hardware component of maritime satellite communications. The South Korean-headquartered company is the industry’s fastest growing satellite antenna technology company and now in its eleventh year, having followed a sharp trajectory of growth since entering the market.

Intellian currently holds a 35.6% share of the stabilized antenna market, making it the market leader under a single brand, as verified by the recently released 4th Edition of the COMSYS Maritime VSAT Report. Paul Comyns, Intellian VP global marketing, believes the company offers a one-stop shop for maritime satellite antennas and its approach is successful because it combines superior products with responsive customer service, bringing a level of value to the market that did not exist a few years ago. The company’s extensive product range targets a wide cross-section of the maritime market, and has enabled Intellian to cultivate one of the largest and most diversified distribution and support channels in the industry.

The company has built on its success in the stabilized TVRO market to develop a varied and comprehensive range of antenna systems; over 30 different products make up the current product portfolio. As well as SatelliteTV, Intellian provides VSAT, FleetBroadband (FBB) and Global Xpress (GX) terminal solutions. The company’s commitment to standards in design, manufacture and testing are matched by investments in a global supply chain and service network. In fact, following the significant outlay on its Rotterdam logistics center in 2014, the company has solidified its position as the industry’s only hardware provider with a direct supply chain spanning three continents: Europe, North America and Asia.

One of the key components claimed as contributing to Intellian’s rise is claimed to be Aptus, a next generation graphical antenna control interface. The dedicated Intellian Aptus software enables users to connect to their antenna through a simple one click process, while dealers, integrators and technicians can remotely connect to an antenna from anywhere in the world to provide routine maintenance and support. The Aptus software continually monitors antenna performance and provides diagnostics, issuing alerts when updates are required. Users can download and install the new updates to their antenna system via Aptus mobile with one touch from their smartphone or tablet.

One Touch Commissioning enables Intellian’s pre-configured terminals to go from power-up to network connectivity in 30 seconds. No calls to the Network Operations Center (NOC) are required. Neither is post installation configuration necessary.

Intellian believes it is unique in the industry in offering a 3-year warranty on its marine products, but its distinguishing features also include the investment of 10 percent of revenues in R&D. Some 30 percent of its workforce is devoted to product development. The company also recently completed a substantial expansion of its manufacturing and R&D facilities in South Korea. Comyns points out that the company’s attention is on streamlining ‘user experience’ and Intellian are continually innovating in this area. Another example of this in practice is the Intellian v240M, the world’s first antenna to provide auto-switching 2.4m performance in both C- and Ku-band on a single reflector. Conventional MultiBand solutions have only partially addressed market needs by mounting a 2.4m C-band reflector and a 1.2m Ku-band reflector inside a single radome. However, Intellian’s v240M provides a true one-antenna solution operating across two frequency bands with complete 2.4m performance.

Its forward-looking approach extends to the companies it chooses as partners; typical has been its most recent alliance with Kymeta to bring to market the next generation of VSAT technology. The terminals, built by Intellian, will integrate Kymeta’s thin, flat, lightweight, electronically beam-steered mTenna™ satellite antennas, which are built on metamaterial-based technology.

Intellian’s market impact has been acknowledged, with its products being adopted as part of the core offering of many of the industry’s major communications infrastructure providers. Exemplary is the company’s selection by Inmarsat as an official GX partner in order to ensure a smooth, easy transition for vessel operators from legacy services to Inmarsat’s next generation satellite capability.

The new Inmarsat Global Xpress satellite constellation is pioneering the industry’s next step, stimulating a data explosion in maritime communications. The GX network is set to be the first high-speed broadband network to span the world. In the maritime sector, Intellian is the world’s first manufacturer to receive type approval for the supply of terminals for the GX network. Intellian worked in conjunction with Inmarsat for 3 years to develop its GX60 and GX100 terminals for the Inmarsat Ka-band service, which is shortly to be in full operation. Intellian identified the need for a seamless and cost-effective transition process and produced a Ku-to-Ka band terminal. The v100GX, which has already been brought to market, will offer the pathway to higher performance available through Global Xpress in the future.

To complement the new GX terminals a Below Deck Unit (BDU) has been engineered, featuring a built-in GX modem for simplified installation and reduced overall space requirements. The unit is Wi-Fi enabled, has a built-in 8 Port Ethernet Switch and integrated AC power supply, as well as a front panel touch display with easy navigation buttons.

As Mr. Comyns points out, “the maritime world is mirroring the same trends currently driving onshore communications, with all users sharing a common appetite for expanded access to connectivity and ever increasing broadband speeds.” Satisfying this general appetite can address particular industry issues, such as crew attraction and retention, where some estimates suggest connectivity is a factor in crew retention in up to 85% of cases.

More generally, Mr. Comyns sees the GX-capable products that support enhanced satellite communications as the pathway to connectivity at sea matching user experience in the home or the office. They are also pivotal to shipping’s ability to exploit the data-based applications that will facilitate the optimization of operational efficiency, condition-based monitoring and process automation, he says.