Why L-Band Connectivity for Maritime is Here to Stay

With conversations in the satellite connectivity space focused on Low Earth Orbit (LEO) offerings such as Starlink and how incumbent Geostationary (GEO) very small aperture terminal (VSAT) offerings will fare in the coming years, it’s easy to forget the mobile satellite services (MSS) market.

L-band services remain critical in commercial shipping because of their safety, reliability, and robustness features. MSS services that are Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) compliant will always have a place on the vessel. It is not, could have or want to have – it’s must have.

L-band connectivity is one certainty when it comes to hybrid connectivity solutions. As such, Inmarsat Maritime with its Inmarsat-C terminals, FleetBroadband, and Iridium’s Certus and OpenPort services will always remain very relevant.

What end users do with LEO broadband, to GEO VSAT, or MSS are completely different things in the maritime connectivity realm. Using a swimming analogy —the newer LEO services represent freestyle, GEO VSAT represents butterfly stroke, compared to MSS as breaststroke.

How Much are L-band Services Worth in Commercial Maritime Connectivity?

Delving into our dataset, we see that the total L-band market was worth $465 million in 2023, declining marginally from 2022. This will not be a big surprise, GEO VSAT has slowly been taking away the vessel subscriptions of FleetBroadband for many years; both Inmarsat Maritime’s FX service and other GEO VSAT providers.

The safety element of the GMDSS MSS market accounted for $213 million per annum via its resellers, with roughly 78,000 vessels with active subscriptions around the world. It is mandatory for “larger merchant and passenger vessels” by the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulation to have multiple terminals and GMDSS terminals per vessel, particularly the bigger ones of 500 gross tonnes. Vessels over 300 gross tonnes only need to have one terminal set. This is primarily applicable for international voyages or open water. The equipment can vary depending on the sea area.

For example, Inmarsat Maritime reported around 180,000 active Inmarsat-C terminals. Not all of these terminals are used for maritime vessels, and entirely for regulatory services such as GMDSS. An interesting side point to this example is Iridium may start its own GMDSS offerings by the end of 2025.

Additionally, although many in the industry won’t pay much attention to the segment, it has a reasonable amount of commercial value. Inmarsat Maritime increased its wholesale Inmarsat-C monthly pricing and its primary resellers — Marlink, Navarino, Speedcast, and AST Networks —dutifully followed suit for their customers in 2022 and 2023. The price hikes resulted in more than $30 million in Inmarsat-C retail revenues globally.

MSS – Broadband and Voice

As of 2023, more than 46,000 vessels worldwide subscribe to L-band broadband speed ( more than 100 Kbps) and voice; the associated revenues from these were $252 million globally. This refers to services from Inmarsat Maritime FleetBroadBand (FBB), FleetOne, Iridium Certus, and Openport and some others.

If you include the FBB terminals as backup to FX there would be nearly 62,000 L-band broadband and voice enabled active vessels.

Secondly, this segment was previously shown to be declining, with the trend of Inmarsat migrating its FBB customers to FX (Ka-band/FBB) service. This strategy still holds true for Inmarsat Maritime to some extent, but the dynamics of the market have changed.

Iridium’s Certus has done remarkably well in recent years and is genuinely seen as a cheaper and possibly better service than FBB. Thirdly, with the arrival of new LEO services, the likelihood is these services will become the primary satellite communications for a vessel and L-band the secondary backup. This scenario can be debated over many different circumstances depending on the ship’s usage and areas she voyages.

As such, Valour Consultancy predicts the high-speed/voice L-band segment will remain relatively robust over the next 10 years and potentially increase slightly.

Breaking down the highlighted 46,000 L-band vessels in 2023, Inmarsat Maritime accounts for 59 percent of the MSS vessels, Iridium’s Certus and OpenPort services around 36 percent, and the rest are other L-band vendors such as Thuraya, GlobalStar, or Orbcomm.

Each of the aforementioned services have its pluses and minuses and are primarily dependent on the location of the vessel and the purpose of the L-band service. For example, FleetOne is widely used in fishing applications for vessel monitoring systems onboard. Vessels operating near the polar regions will typically use Iridium’s Certus service for better coverage in these regions. Its NEXT LEO constellation is very beneficial from this perspective.

The Bigger Picture

When digesting all this information, it is vital to remember all these commercial maritime vessels using FBB or Iridium’s service; they will likely be using a GEO VSAT system as a primary mode of satellite communications before the arrival of LEO services. In our analysis, we have 186,522 vessels with satellite subscriptions. Taking account of the more recent connectivity segment, LEO highspeed services, like Starlink and OneWeb, say more than 20,000 vessels at the end of 2023, it would be wise to think of the connectivity ecosystem as a “layered cake.”

Inmarsat Maritime: As highlighted earlier, Inmarsat Maritime’s FX customer base, all have accompanying FBB services, technically free of charge. For its L-band services only; FBB customers were around 19,000 vessels as of the end of 2023, and F1 consisted of 7,500 vessels as of the end of 2023. The firm’s FBB vessel count has declined over the last few years Inmarsat Maritime’s strategy of continuing to switch over these customers to its FX service (for larger revenues) and some competition from other L-band providers. Revenues for sales in 2023 amounted to $188 million for both services, Valour estimates.

The firm's GMDSS and Inmarsat-C business continues to be lucrative. Valour Consultancy estimates that more than 172,000 terminals (approximately 78,000 vessels but some terminals are used for non-maritime business) are active globally and that Inmarsat Maritime generates $70 to 80 million per annum on a wholesale basis for these services.

Iridium: The satellite provider focuses solely on the L-band market. Its upgraded LEO L-band constellation was completed in February 2019. Iridium only sells its services via resellers. Iridium’s legacy L-band service is Iridium OpenPort. One of Iridium's remarkable developments is its launch of GMDSS in 2020. The service ensures vessels can send distress alerts and communicate during emergencies anywhere in the world.

Valour Consultancy estimates Iridium generated more than $57 million in MSS Iridium Certus and Iridium OpenPort service wholesale revenues in 2023. Retail revenues for the associated revenues are likely to exceed $80 million.

Cobham Satcom: Cobham Satcom’s VSAT and MSS equipment business units accounted for approximately $73 million in 2023. Valour Consultancy estimated the firm still maintains its dominance in the MSS hardware market, with nearly 50 percent of its high-speed L-band terminals shipped worldwide in 2023.

In addition to its VSAT business, Cobham Satcom is a leading hardware manufacturer of Inmarsat’s FleetBroadband terminals. The L-band service is well-known and widely used in the maritime connectivity ecosystem, considered essential for all commercial maritime players. However, Iridium continues to progress with its Iridium Certus service and growing GMDSS approvals. Cobham Satcom also manufactures Iridium’s equipment, such as the SAILOR 4300 series.

Thales: Thales's maritime L-band terminal business, VesseLINK product line, was one of the first manufacturers for Iridium’s L-band service. As such, these terminals were designed in collaboration with Iridium, to utilize its Iridium Certus network. The VesseLINK 200 and 700 models offer high-speed data services, voice communications, and safety features, ensuring reliable connectivity even in harsh maritime environments. Thales is one of the largest manufacturers of Iridium’s MSS maritime business and is also utilized for land mobility applications.

Lars Thrane A/S: Lars Thrane A/S is a prominent player in maritime satellite communications, known for developing high-performance L-band terminals. Its key products, such as the LT-3100S and LT-4200, are designed for professional maritime markets, offering comprehensive voice, data, and tracking capabilities.

Intellian Technologies is the biggest maritime VSAT parabolic system manufacturer, however, it also has MSS business for Iridium and Inmarsat. Intellian is one of the largest manufacturers of Iridium Certus terminal services. Intellian is also a key manufacturer of Inmarsat FleetBroadband terminals, including the FB250 and FB500, in addition to their GX Ka-band portfolio.

Furthermore, Intellian is entering the GMDSS market in 2025, developing Navtex, VHF and MF/HF radios, and in partnership with Inmarsat and Iridium, they are also developing next-generation GMDSS Safety Display terminals, to complement their L-band terminals.

These terminals enhance maritime safety by providing reliable communication and distress alert capabilities, significantly improving the safety of seafarers. The volume of units sold and associated revenues from these types of hardware are much lower than parabolic systems and FPAs, but they play a crucial role at sea.

Why L-Band Will Always be Here to Stay

Inevitably, commercial maritime vessels use L-band satellite services for safety, basic communications, and better coverage due to several key advantages. Firstly, Starlink has many restricted areas which are common shipping destinations or routes. For example, China, UAE, South Africa, Taiwan, and Saudi Arabia are all nations that prohibited Starlink. As such, for regulatory purposes users need to switch off their service. In addition, GEO VSAT often has regulatory restrictions for operators near shore or in ports. L-band is much more widely accepted due the history of the communication technology and necessity of safety offerings.

L-band operates in a frequency range less susceptible to atmospheric interference, such as rain fade, which is crucial in maintaining reliable communication at sea, where conditions can be unpredictable, particularly when autonomous vessels are on the horizon.

Its robust signal penetration allows for continuous coverage, even in remote oceanic regions, ensuring that ships can communicate efficiently for navigation and safety purposes. For example, Inmarsat’s launch of NexusWave, inevitably, its L-band connectivity is the ultimate backstop component of the multi-network bonded connectivity solution, ensuring that vital level of resiliency if all else fails.

The smaller L-band antennas are easier to install and maintain on vessels, making them ideal for both small and large ships. The global coverage of L-band satellites means vessels can maintain communications regardless of location, crucial for safety in emergencies. These services support essential communications such as distress calls, navigational updates, and basic crew communication, ensuring that vessels meet international maritime safety regulations while remaining connected across vast oceanic expanses.

Finally, in certain regions around the world, such as the Pacific entrance/exit of the Panama Canal, around the Malacca straits, GEO VSAT services are highly congested and L-band services are used as a buffer to augment vessels satellite connectivity. VS

Joshua Flood is the co-founder and director of maritime for Valour Consultancy

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