FURUNO is a manufacturer of marine electronics, GPS receiver chips/modules and medical appliances.

Product Specifications

• How many IP handsets/analog telephones/FAX can be incorporated into the network?
  • Up to 10 IP handsets and up to four analog telephones/FAX can be networked.
    *networked through PoE HUB
• Is it possible to make use of conventional analog telephones with FELCOM500/FELCOM250?
  • Yes.
    There are two RJ11 ports and two Phoenix 4 pin ports for telephones and FAX in the Communication Unit.
• Is parallel connection of multiple analog telephones a possibility?
  • Yes.
    Up to two analog telephones are connectable through each port.
• Is it possible to have multiple telephone numbers?
  • No.
    Only one telephone number can be allocated for each of 4 kbps AMBE+2, 3.1 kHz Audio, ISDN UDI and ISDN RDI services. Unlike Inmarsat Fleet service, more than one telephone numbers cannot be allocated for any one service.
• How many Incoming Indicators can be incorporated into the network?
  • Yes.
    Up to ten units can be networked.
• Is it possible to use different ringtones for each room?
  • No.
    Different ringtone intervals can be used for each of the voice and fax applications. However, different ringtone setting cannot be assigned for each of the connected Incoming Indicators within the network.
• How many LAN ports does the Communication Unit have?
  • Four LAN ports are incorporated into the Communication Unit, all of which are PoE (Power over Ethernet) types.
• Is it possible to install two FleetBroadband antenna units in order to enjoy better reception?
  • No.
• Does FURUNO provide HUB/PoE HUB?
  • Yes, FURUNO supplys HUB/PoE HUB.
    Please consult with the local FURUNO distributors for details.
• What is PoE HUB?
  • It is a HUB that is capable of supplying electricity.PoE HUB can be classified into two types: Type A and B.Type A hub utilizes data wires, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th pins, to transfer electrocity together with data, while Type B hub utilizes idle wires: 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th pins, to supply electricity. Both types can be used for the FB handset, however, please be aware that the only Type B can be utilized for the Incoming Indicator.
• Can we make use of the ChartCo broadcasting service as well as other DGPS service with FleetBroadband?
  • Inmarsat I4 satellites do not deliver DGPS service, and thus it is advised that you make use of email data delivery service that ChartCo provides.
• Is input of Gyro/GPS signals necessary?
  • Heading signal input from an external sensor is not necessary.
    A GPS receiver is incorporated into the antenna unit, so it is not technically necessary to feed GPS signals, but it is reccomended to have GPS signal input from external GPS as a backup.
• Is it possible to make use of telephone service and FAX service at the same time?
  • No, it is not possible to use telephone and FAX at the same time. It is possible to make use of Circuit Switching service (telephone, FAX, ISDN) and packet data service (Standard-IP and Streaming-IP) at the same time.
• Is it possible to make use of Standard-IP and Streaming-IP services at the same time?
  • Yes, it is possible to do so. However, please note that the total bandwidth utilised at one time cannot exceed the upper limit of Standard-IP service. For instance, if you wish to make use of 256 kbps Streaming-IP service and Standard-IP service at the same time, the bandwidth allocated for Standard-IP connection is up to 176 kbps (432 kbps-256 kbps=176 kbps).

Satellite Infrastructure & Service to be Provided

• From when does FleetBroadband start global service?
  • From the 25th of February 2009, FleetBroadband commenced the service with global coverage with three operating satellites.
• Where are the Land Earth Stations located?
  • In FleetBroadband, Land Earth Station is termed as SAS (Satellite Access Station）. One is located in Burum in the Netherlands that handles network assignment for those under the EMEA satellite (25E) that covers the EU, the Middle East and Africa. The other two SASs are located in Hawaii that handle network assignment for those under Asia-Pacific Satellite (143.5E) that covers Asia-pacific area and American Satellite (98W) that covers Americas and Hawaii.
• What is the difference between FB500 and FB250?
  • FB250's communication data rate is more moderate than that of FB500: with maximum capability being 284kbps and 128kbps for Standard IP and Streaming IP service, respectfully. Its service coverage of is also narrower than FB500. Also, in order to make use of FAX with FB250, minimum elevation angle of 20 degrees toward satellite is necessary. Moreover, FB250 does not provide 56k/64kbps ISDN services.

Installation of the FleetBroadbandTerminal

• Is it possible to utilize the existing cables from existing equipment when replacing with FleetBroadband terminal? And what about the fixing holes for the antenna unit?
  • Yes, it is possible to make use of them.
    This is because the antenna cables and antenna fixing holes of FELCOM500 are identical to those of Inmarsat B and Inmarsat Fleet 77 terminals.
• Can marine electric cables be used instead of LAN cables?
  • No, marine electric cables cannot be used instead of LAN cables.
    We assure the operation performance with LAN cables including LAN connector (RJ-45 jack).
• How can a PC be connected into the FleetBroadband terminal?
  • A PC can be directly connected through LAN port to the FB network.
    Since Communication Unit incorporates Auto MDI/MDI-X functions, both cross/straight cables can be used to network a PC.
• To where the Terminal Adaptor for ISDN applications can be connected?
  • Terminal Adaptor is not required for FleetBroadband.
    There is no ISDN S/T port, and a PC can be connected through a serial port.
• Is it necessary to assign IP addresses to each handset and PC connected?
  • Yes, it is necessary to assign IP addresses to each IP handset and PC connected.
    Since the Communication Unit has a DHCP function, IP addresses can be automatically assigned by checking the dedicated check boxes in the network configuration setting.

Communication Rate & Applications to be Utilized

• Approximately how much is the communication cost?
  • Communication cost for voice applications is almost half and for data applications, it is almost one-third, compared with Fleet service.
    As for ISDN service, the communication cost is same as Fleet service.
• Is the communication cost charged at a metered rate?
  • Yes, for Standard-IP service, the communication cost depends upon the amount of the data sent and received.
    As for the communication cost for the Streaming-IP service, the communication cost depends upon the duration of time connected to the network.
• Is there any discount scheme available?
  • It depends upon the service provider, but normally, the longer the contract term is, the cheaper the overall cost for communication charge would be.
• Is it possible to make use of the mailer software that comes with Windows, i.e., Outlook Express?
  • It is possible.
    However, we recommend AmosConnect that has automatic message compression,automatic mid-message recovery functions. More importantly, the basic package is free of charge.
• Is dedicated service possible?
  • Each Distribution Partner has different added-value services, and thus please consult with DP for further details. For instance, both Stratos and KDDI offer the service plan for dedicated bandwidth.

SIM Cards, Airtime

• What is a SIM card?
  • More properly put, it is a Universal Subscriber Identity Module Card, abbreviated as a USIM card. FleetBradband utilizes the same type of the USIM cards as ordinary mobile telephones. However, the USIM card used for FleetBroadband is dedicated only to the same service, and without it, you cannot utilize the FleetBroadband service.
    You cannot utilize the USIM cards for BGAN or mobile telecommunications instead.
• Where can we purchase the SIM card from?
  • SIM card can be purchased upon signing a contract with a Distribution Partner. FURUNO also handles SIM cards.