NexusWave upgrade – Inmarsat Maritime adds VS60 terminal and ViaSat‑3 capacity

Inmarsat Maritime, a subsidiary of ViaSat, announced the next stage of its NexusWave bonded‑connectivity service following the successful launch of the ViaSat‑3 Flight 2 satellite and ahead of the planned launch of ViaSat‑3 Flight 3. Both satellites are slated to enter service in 2026, bringing a substantial boost in bandwidth for NexusWave users through a new generation of maritime terminals. The added capacity will come from Flight 2 over the Americas and Flight 3 over the Asia‑Pacific region, giving customers higher performance, more consistent speeds and greater flexibility.

NexusWave is a fully managed, multi‑network solution that aggregates capacity from GEO Ka‑band, LEO, LTE and L‑band into a single intelligent link. With the ultra‑high‑capacity ViaSat‑3 constellation, users will see faster data transfers and improved network efficiency, supporting large‑scale digitalisation and crew‑welfare applications that deliver an “office‑like” and “home‑like” internet experience at sea.

The new VS60 maritime terminal – designed by Intellian and built on ViaSat’s software‑defined‑radio platform—strengthens the NexusWave architecture and can handle bandwidth‑intensive workloads such as enterprise networking, video streaming, crew welfare services and mission‑critical operations. In recent sea trials, the VS60, purpose‑built for the ViaSat‑3 era, achieved download speeds exceeding 250 Mbps and includes multiple security layers to protect sensitive data and maintain operational integrity.

ViaSat‑3 satellites also feature more than 1 000 steerable spot beams, allowing bandwidth to be dynamically reallocated to match demand across global shipping lanes, ports and offshore sites.

Gert‑Jan Panken, Vice President of Inmarsat Maritime, said the combination of NexusWave’s bonded, multi‑orbit design and the new Intellian‑built, ViaSat‑3‑ready terminal positions the company to meet the operational priorities of worldwide fleets, reinforcing reliability, security and customer experience at sea while enabling seamless scaling as the network grows.

Ben Palmer OBE, President of Viasat Commercial, added that NexusWave was created to deliver consistent performance in an increasingly complex connectivity landscape, and that the rollout of ViaSat‑3 capacity represents a major step forward, offering more bandwidth, greater flexibility and a forward‑looking upgrade path for customers and partners.