Latest news with #ElcomeInternational
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Elcome introduces Video on Demand service for seafarers
Maritime technology integrator Elcome International has unveiled a new Video on Demand (VoD) service for ship crew members, providing high-quality, culturally relevant entertainment directly to their personal devices. This service allows streaming of a diverse range of content to up to 26 separate devices simultaneously, without affecting the vessel's internet speed. The Elcome VoD service operates on flexible subscription models, including monthly, quarterly, or annual plans, which are managed by the ship operator. Elcome senior manager connectivity Asneed Ameer said: 'Until now, most crews could only watch a single TV channel at a time in the mess hall, often in a language foreign to their own. 'With Elcome VoD, seafarers can now unwind in their own cabin with a library of movies, TV series, podcasts, and news programmes in their preferred language with zero impact on ship's satellite bandwidth or connectivity costs.' This approach contrasts with traditional streaming services that often incur significant satellite data costs. Elcome's system includes an onboard media server that updates content overnight on a daily and monthly basis, utilising low-traffic periods to minimise bandwidth usage. Content is streamed entirely over the ship's local network, with satellite internet only being used during the predetermined update window. The platform offers two subscription options with the basic package providing 160 movies and 189 hours of TV content, while the premium package includes 200 movies and more than 830 hours of TV, with additional options such as Euronews or ABS-CBN's TV Patrol. The curated content catalogue caters to seafarers from various nationalities, featuring a wide selection of genres and cultural bundles specifically designed for Indian, Filipino, and multinational crews. 'Shipowners gain a cost-effective crew welfare enhancement that supports retention and morale, while crews get entertainment that respects their cultural and language preferences,' added Ameer. The service is currently undergoing trials on several vessels, including offshore support ships and merchant fleets. Elcome has positioned its VoD service as competitively priced, comparing it to the monthly costs of two consumer streaming subscriptions, but without the hidden data expenses associated with typical online entertainment platforms. "Elcome introduces Video on Demand service for seafarers" was originally created and published by Ship Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Broadcast Pro
21-07-2025
- Business
- Broadcast Pro
Elcome launches offline VoD service for ship crews
The innovative system allows offline streaming to as many as 26 devices simultaneously via a local network, eliminating the need for costly satellite data usage during content playback. Maritime technology specialist Elcome International has unveiled a new Video on Demand (VoD) service designed to deliver high-quality, culturally relevant entertainment directly to ship crews personal devices, without affecting the vessels internet bandwidth. The new Elcome VoD service facilitates the simultaneous broadcasting of a diverse range of content across up to 26 separate devices via offline streaming, with no impact on the vessels Internet speed. The service is based on flexible subscription models, with monthly, quarterly, or annual options managed by the ship operator, rather than the crew. 'Until now, most crews could only watch a single TV channel at a time in the mess hall, often in a language foreign to their own,' said Elcomes Senior Manager – Connectivity, Asneed Ameer. 'With Elcome VoD, seafarers can now unwind in their own cabin with a library of movies, TV series, podcasts, and news programmes in their preferred language with zero impact on ships satellite bandwidth or connectivity costs.' Unlike conventional streaming services that rely on costly satellite data, Elcomes VoD system installs an onboard media server that pulls content updates overnight, on a daily and monthly schedule, during low-traffic windows. The continuously refreshed library streams entirely over the ships local network, meaning satellite Internet is used only during the scheduled update window. The platform is available with two subscription options. A basic package includes 160 movies and 189 hours of TV content, while a premium package offers 200 movies and over 830 hours of TV. The premium package also includes Euronews or ABS-CBNs TV Patrol. 'Shipowners gain a cost-effective crew welfare enhancement that supports retention and morale, while crews get entertainment that respects their cultural and language preferences,' added Ameer. 'Access to daily news also helps crews feel informed, connected to home, and part of the wider world, something many seafarers feel they miss out on with a career at sea.' The content catalogue is curated for seafarers of all nationalities, with genre-rich selections and cultural bundles tailored to Indian, Filipino and multinational crews. The service is already being trialled aboard a number of vessels, including offshore support ships and merchant fleets. 'This isnt a consumer app repurposed for ships. Its a custom-designed solution built for life at sea. We are not only providing a better experience, but we are also protecting the shipboard bandwidth vital for business-critical communications.' According to Elcome, VoD pricing is competitive and comparable to the monthly costs equivalent to two consumer streaming subscriptions, but without the hidden data costs typical of online entertainment.
Gulf Insider
16-05-2025
- Business
- Gulf Insider
Elon Musk's Starlink Goes Live In Bahrain
Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service has been activated in another Middle East and North Africa country, continuing its recent run of providing advanced communications in the region. The company, a subsidiary of Texas-based SpaceX, said in an X post on Friday that its services have been activated in Bahrain, after Oman in March and Jordan in April. Bahrain joins Oman, Qatar and Yemen as Middle East countries with access to the service. Kuwait is also expected to have Starlink's high-speed, low-latency internet service at some point in 2025, according to Starlink's website. The satellite internet service is coming soon in Saudi Arabia's aviation and maritime sectors too, Mr Musk revealed in Riyadh this week, as part of US President Donald Trump's tour of the Gulf. While it is not available in the UAE, Starlink in 2023 had teamed up with Dubai-based marine electronics company Elcome International to provide internet services to the maritime industry. The kingdom and the Emirates are listed as 'pending regulatory approval', according to Starlink's website. Starlink is hastening its growth as it pushes to gain a bigger foothold of the market and try to fend off rising competition. What is Starlink? Starlink is a satellite constellation service that provides internet access using satellites that orbit the planet at between heights of 200km and 2,000km. For perspective, the International Space Station is at 408km, while Hubble Space Telescope is at 547km. The service provides high-speed, low-latency broadband internet. Within each coverage area, orders are fulfilled on a first-come, first-served basis. How fast is Starlink? Starlink users 'typically experience' download speeds between 25 and 220Mbps, with a majority of users experiencing speeds over 100Mbps, according to its website. The company intends to reach speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second. Latest figures show that there are more than 7,100 Starlink satellites in service − with the company aiming for a total of 42,000. The launch of more satellites and fine-tuning of the service is expected to increase speeds further. How does satellite internet differ from 5G service? To have access to the internet using a 5G connection − or any broadband connection − you need to be within range of a cell tower. The closer you are, the better and faster your connection should be. With a satellite, you can gain access to the internet, even in the middle of nowhere. And, in terms of speed, this is a no-contest as 5G, which is up to 20 times faster than 4G, can provide download speeds of anywhere between 1Gbps to 10Gbps, depending on how close you are to a cell tower. Starlink's planned top speed is at the low end of 5G at this point. How much is a Starlink subscription? Starlink has two main subscription categories: personal and business. Based on US pricing, under personal, there's residential, with monthly plans at $80 and $120, and roam, costing $50 and $165 for unlimited data. In business, the local priority tier ranges from $65 to $540, while the top-tier global priority – 'best for maritime and global connectivity' – starts at $250 and tops out at $2,150. These fees are in addition to hardware costs – routers, cables, etc. – which start at $349. Does Starlink have any competitors? Yes. In the US, it is up against Viasat and HughesNet, both veterans in the industry, having been founded in 1986 and 1971, respectively. And, of course, there's Amazon, whose founder Jeff Bezos has been challenging Mr Musk in the space race. In its latest move, Mr Bezos launched the first 27 internet satellites of Amazon's Project Kuiper constellation in April. Source The National News
