Marine Digital Communications
A Korean research team has successfully developed a tech to send and receive text messages to the sea up to 100 kilometers offshore.
The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) announced on Jan. 8 that it has succeeded in developing a next-generation marine digital communications technology (ASM 2.0), which offers transmission speeds of up to 76.8Kbps, 8 times faster than the existing Automatic Identification System (AIS).
ETRI explains that this method could be utilized in various types of data communications, including sending text messages between ships at sea or between ships and the shore, exchanging information on sea lanes, and reporting dangerous information.
For example, it will be much easier for people to get information on military training or accidents when operating ships. So far, it has been difficult to deliver safety information due to a lack of digital communications methods at sea. When using AIS, for instance, information on navigation has been delivered one way to the other side.
Dr. Kim Dae-ho, head of the research team at ETRI, remarked, “Our country has obtained a world-class technology in not only terrestrial communications but also marine communications.” Kim concluded by saying, “We are planning to dominate the global marine digital market by commercializing the newly-developed method as soon as possible.”