Connectivity at sea is complex, and often unreliable. Factors such as security, scalability, and sustainability come into the mix, which means enterprises need smarter orchestration beyond just having access to better networks.
For IoT connectivity provider Wireless Logic, hybrid connectivity — whether via cellular or satellite — offers substantial opportunities for the maritime sector. However, several challenges continue to weigh down vessels and limit progress.
“Introducing hybrid connectivity into maritime environments often means navigating a patchwork of legacy systems, disparate vendors, and inconsistent standards across fleets. Many vessels were never designed with real-time data transmission in mind, which creates challenges when integrating modern satellite and cellular networks,” said Paul Bullock, Group Chief Product Officer at Wireless Logic, in an interview with Frontier Enterprise.
Rudderless
According to Bullock, interoperability is a significant hurdle at sea, as systems for navigation, engine diagnostics, cargo tracking, and crew welfare often operate in isolation.
There is also the need for resilience, since connectivity must shift seamlessly between satellite and cellular as vessels move between coverage zones.
“A major blind spot is the reliance on static connectivity strategies in a highly dynamic environment. As vessels move through different geographies, many systems fail to adapt, resulting in coverage gaps, inefficient bandwidth use, and delayed data flow,” he explained.
Quite often, maritime operators are dead in the water, with no visibility into how their onboard IoT devices are performing. This highlights the need for network visibility, Bullock noted, to help operators prioritise traffic, manage costs, and respond to failures quickly.
“To stay resilient at sea, connectivity must be more than available. It must be adaptive, orchestrated, and transparent across every layer of the operation,” he added.
With hybrid connectivity, a common pitfall is the failure to prioritise traffic. Without intelligent routing, non-critical data can end up on high-cost satellite links, unnecessarily driving up expenses.
Another issue that is often overlooked is orchestration and support. Ensuring seamless failover between networks without service disruption or data loss requires careful planning and the right control systems, Bullock mentioned.
“Hybrid networks unlock real value, but only if they’re backed by robust monitoring, automation, and cost management frameworks. Otherwise, the flexibility they offer can become a source of inefficiency,” he warned.
In addition, the changing regulatory landscape has made compliance more complicated.
“As new LEO (low-Earth orbit) satellite networks become more prominent, they introduce not just new capabilities, but new compliance requirements, especially as vessels move across international waters and national jurisdictions. Licensing, data sovereignty, and frequency regulation vary significantly by region, and enterprises must account for these differences during integration to avoid service interruptions or compliance risks,” Bullock said.
Anchors away
Maritime operations demand connectivity that is both global and granular. Vessels must stay connected as they move across territorial waters, economic zones, and remote oceanic regions, each with different regulatory, network, and performance conditions, Bullock noted.
“Scaling IoT connectivity in this context isn’t just about providing coverage. It’s about delivering consistent control, performance, and security no matter where assets are located,” he remarked.
To support this, Bullock said the company works with more than 750 networks across 165 countries, spanning both global and regional satellite and cellular providers.
He added that its security approach includes protections at the SIM, network, and platform levels.
“We apply traffic routing and IP filtering to help prevent unauthorised access or data leakage. For maritime operations, where assets are often remote, unmanned, and exposed to high-risk environments, this type of layered security helps safeguard operational data and maintain regulatory compliance across borders,” Bullock said.
With the wind
Among technologies shaping maritime operations, AI and 5G are gaining momentum in how data is used at sea. Bullock observed increasing uptake in real-time sensor data, transmitted via hybrid networks, to feed AI models that anticipate equipment failures, optimise fuel use, and improve voyage planning.
“These aren’t just theoretical benefits; they’re already driving measurable savings for operators,” he said.
For remote monitoring, Bullock said shipping companies are adopting AI tools and 5G-enabled edge devices to detect onboard anomalies, support crew safety, and monitor cargo conditions, without requiring personnel on deck.
To enable these capabilities, he said Wireless Logic offers multi-network connectivity through satellite, cellular, and eSIM channels, supporting data transmission in remote operating environments.
“What remains more aspirational is full vessel autonomy. While AI has great potential here, the industry still faces regulatory, safety, and connectivity hurdles. For now, the focus is rightly on decision support, using AI to augment human operators, not replace them,” he said.
Alternate routes
From a broader perspective, enterprise shipping customers are moving away from bespoke, hardware-heavy deployments toward integrated, service-based models that are faster to implement, easier to scale, and offer clearer returns, Bullock said.
“They expect flexibility, not just in network coverage, but in commercial models, contract terms, and how quickly they can onboard and activate new assets,” he said.
There is also growing pressure to reduce time to value, Bullock acknowledged, as connectivity is no longer a back-end consideration but a strategic enabler for real-time operations, predictive analytics, crew welfare, and regulatory compliance.
“As a result, shipping companies are seeking solutions that can be provisioned remotely, managed centrally, and adapted dynamically as fleets move across jurisdictions,” he said.
Despite this shift, friction remains. Procurement processes in maritime can be slow-moving, especially when connectivity is bundled into broader vessel systems.
In addition, legacy thinking still treats connectivity as a static cost line, rather than a performance driver.
“Fragmented supply chains and differing global compliance requirements also make deployment more complex than it should be,” Bullock said.
To address these issues, Bullock said the company focuses on solutions that can be deployed across fleets with minimal integration work, supporting both regional and global connectivity needs.
