Norway implements maritime broadband communication on ships in public services. Therefore the Norwegian companies Kongsberg Seatex and Radionor have teamed up to develop Maritime Broadband Radio (MBR).
According to Kongsberg MBR is highly stable and with extensive reach. Among ot[ds_preview]her capabilities, it enables streaming of HD-video. MBR does not require an internet connection to connect units in the network, though it is possible to transfer data from the network using internet.
The Coastal Administration and NOFO (Norwegian Clean Seas Association for Operating Companies) are the first in the world to deploy the Norwegian-developed and produced MBR. The Coastal Administration will install it on all its oil recovery vessels, and on ten additional vessels with oil recovery equipment on board. NOFO will do the same with all its oil recovery vessels.
MBR is already installed on the surveillance aircraft LN-KYV, a joint initiative between the Coastal Administration, NOFO and the Norwegian Coast Guard.
In the event of a critical oil spill, MBR will enable significantly faster and higher quality exchange of information between the various units engaged in a response effort Kongsberg stated. Images, maps and video can be transferred instantaneously, and response can be initiated based on a shared, real-time awareness of the situation.
