Inmarsat Takes New Approach to Coastal Fishing Market in China

A trawler in Raglan harbor. Photo: Andym5855 (Flickr)

[Via Satellite 10-27-2014] Beijing Marine communication and Navigation Co. (MCN Beijing), Inmarsat’s largest distribution partner in China has created and is now offering a communications application called Fish Chat targeting the coastal fishing industry. Inmarsat has tested and certified the app, which works on the company’s Fleet One solution.

Inmarsat’s Fleet One solution was first installed on fishing vessels in August 2014. Using Wi-Fi, coastal fishers can text, send pictures and use push-to-talk voice services through Fish Chat. The company sees the app as a way to broaden the number of Fleet One users.

“In the past, this market has been perceived as being on the low end for data communications and extremely price sensitive; to counter this and make it more appealing to the target customer, we designed a tailor-made and user-friendly application,” said Cao Desheng, president of MCN Beijing.