Event | : Launch of Mobile App. |
| Date | : 27th August 2015. |
| Place | : The Grand Park Orchard in Singapore. |
| Chief Guest | : Head of Singtel satellite Group, Mr. Lim Kian Soon. |
A timely innovation by the company is their All-in-one SmartBox mobile App. Mr. Lim Kian Soon was optimistic about the marine industry heading toward smart shipping where both IT and full automation would be the key elements here forward. The inaugural event was attended by the company’s IT partners, Industry partners, members of associations and shipping professionals. A live demonstration took place to educate the audience. There were booths set up for a hands-on experience of the audience.Headquartered in Singapore, Singtel is a major telecommunications company having worldwide operations. Their main operations are in Singapore and Australia.
In the current day scenario, even though ships are connected via the satellite and fitted with GPS, the shore IT managers lack the tools to help them monitor or take control of the networks on board. Yet another problem faced is the time lapse of issuing crew vouchers and data PINs via emails from shore.
This problem has been addressed by combining both remote monitoring as well as satellite connectivity from both a business perspective as well as for maritime cyber security.
The AIO smart box would act as a centralized control unit on board and will interface with the shore IT managers as well to let them monitor or take control of the firewall settings remotely from land. This will enable the shore IT managers to install, run and fix the network systems on board. This would mean better operational efficiency as well as crew welfare.
As an example, a ship’s master will be able to instantaneously issue voice as well as data PINs and vouchers to his crew members by accessing the Smartbox ‘s dashboard. With simultaneous syncing with Shore IT, there is bound to be more transparency as to the quantity of PINs and vouchers issued per vessel.
The advantages of AIO Mobile App are listed below:
- Starting from the Ship’s captain to the crew, each will have the convenience of owning and using their device, be it on sea or land.
- Singtel offers a cost-effective bandwidth through an efficient package technology called, ‘Smart Packet’. It will use compression technology of 2.15-6 kbps in the place of commercial VoIP codec of 24-30 kbps.
- The personalized Contact list can be accessed anytime, anyplace and the freedom to send and receive text, voice and video to land and between ships as well, at their convenience.
