Inmarsat and Vikand Host Demonstration of 24/7 Telemedicine Service

Inmarsat, the world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, and VIKAND, an Inmarsat partner that specialises in the provision of medical services for the maritime sector, held an event to demonstrate company’s 24/7 telemedicine service.

The event, of particular interest to yacht management companies, yacht owners and operators, involved hands-on demonstrations of VIKAND Direct, the company’s 24/7 telemedicine service, over a live Fleet Xpress (FX) satellite connection. Available in a choice of two different monthly subscription levels, Access and Accelerate, VIKAND Direct runs over Inmarsat’s FX network and, importantly, uses a dedicated data channel, so the service has no impact upon vessel communications or bandwidth.

“We are pleased that VIKAND will be using Inmarsat to provide these indispensable services to mariners,” said Ronald Spithout, President, Inmarsat Maritime. “Everyone knows that the key to a successful diagnosis and cure is prompt attention, delivered at the very moment you need it and irrespective of location. Our global coverage and failsafe, high-quality communications capacity are essential to making telemedicine a lifesaving asset for crews and passengers all over the world.”

A major benefit of VIKAND Direct is its competitive pricing and the extent of its return on investment (ROI). Where telemedicine services for the maritime market have tended to be prohibitively expensive and complicated to implement in the past, VIKAND’s low-cost solution uses very low bandwidth and is readily accessible via smartphone—and all services are included in a monthly fee.

This ease of remote access is matched with a low bandwidth requirement, which supports video, audio, and text dialogues within the context of a virtual house doctor. Personalised care teleconsultations are conducted with due diligence regarding privacy and patient confidentiality.

“Medical services delivered with immediacy, including innovative risk reduction and mitigation, are delivered by VIKAND with paramount cost efficiencies,” said Peter Hult, CEO VIKAND, “These are the value cornerstones we provide our customers, with the assurance of affordable and comprehensive healthcare on demand. Fleet Xpress enables us to go wherever they go.”

Among the many end-to-end medical services and products supplied by VIKAND Solutions are COVID test equipment and PPE, crew wellness maintenance, air purification and decontamination technologies, and outbreak prevention and crisis management support, all facilitated by the company’s global distribution and logistics network. To date, more than 120,000 crew members, 20,000,000 guests, 200 luxury cruise vessels and 15 superyachts have availed themselves of VIKAND’s telemedicine provision.

Offering high-speed and reliable global coverage and stringent cyber-risk protection, Inmarsat’s FX provides the ideal platform for the benefits attainable through VIKAND’s telehealth capabilities. FX is a unique satellite service that pairs high speed and unlimited data over Inmarsat’s Global Xpress (Ka-band) network with ultra-resilient and unlimited backup over Inmarsat’s FleetBroadband (L-band) network, all within a single monthly subscription. FX is installed on over 11,000 vessels to date and growing.