Wheat Wireless Services, a provider of long-range wireless broadband Internet access, today introduced TeleSea Blue Satellite Service, a new high-speed service that provides Internet services such as voice, video, data and email to vessels at sea.
"Wheat Wireless Services is pleased to be the first provider of high-speed satellite Internet service to vessels traveling the waters in and around the United States. Now mariners can travel all the way from Maine to the Caribbean and have uninterrupted, (real broadband) high-speed access to the Internet" said Forrest C. Wheat, Sr., President, and CEO of Wheat International Communications, the parent company of Wheat Wireless Services. "Wheat Wireless Services is truly the most comprehensive Internet Service Provider to the maritime industry offering real broadband Internet service to vessels in near coastal waters, in marinas and now, through our satellite service, to vessels in Atlantic, Pacific, and Caribbean waters well beyond the U.S. coastline.
"The market for sea mobile communications, including private, military and commercial communications, is approximately $4 billion," Mr. Wheat said. "We intend to become the premier provider of high-speed communications services to all aspects of the maritime industry."
TeleSea Blue Satellite Service provides users with download speeds of 512 Kbps, comparable to many cable modem services. Future TeleSea Blue Satellite Service offerings will feature download speeds of between 1 Mbps and 40 Mbps, or roughly 20 to 800 times faster than a standard 56K dial-up modem still popular in many homes today.
Unlike other satellite services that provide less bandwidth at costly per-minute charges, TeleSea Blue Satellite Service customers pay a flat-fee of $999.95/month for unlimited Internet access.
Customers will pay a one-time installation fee of $50,000.00 for the satellite communications suite. Customers do not purchase the equipment, but lease it from Wheat Wireless Services. The installation fee covers the first year's lease. After the first year, customers will pay a monthly lease of $149. Because customers lease the equipment, Wheat Wireless Services will provide technology upgrades and maintenance of the equipment at no additional cost.
TeleSea Gold Coastal Service was officially launched in October of 2002 and is the first wireless high-speed Internet service that can be accessed while at sea up to 30 miles from the coast in designated coverage areas. TeleSea Gold Coastal Service is a flat-fee service ideal for customers who travel near the coastline and want high-speed, affordable Internet access while underway without expensive per-minute fees.
Launched in February 2003, TeleSea Marina Service is a wireless high-speed Internet service available at select marinas primarily along the United States' East and West coasts. TeleSea Marina Service provides high-speed Internet service to mariners who choose to dock their vessels at ports for an extended period of time. TeleSea Marina Service does not require a contract, permitting customers to pay only for the period they need the service.