NEW: RI-based KVH to Provide Free Satellite Calls to Philippines
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
KVH, the Middletown-RI based company with offices worldwide, is offering some of its services to customers free of charger following Typhoon Haiyan.
KVH announced that the move is meant to help meet the urgent need of seafarers to check on friends and family in the aftermath of the typhooon. KVH will pay for all calls to the Philippines from vessels that use KVH's Mini-VSAT broadband service
"Filipino seafarers represent more than 20% of the world's mariners. In support of the many seafarers whose family and friends have been affected by the devastating typhoon in the Philippines, as of today, there will be no charge for calling the Philippines on any KVH TracPhone(R) system with mini-VSAT Broadband service, on any vessel, anywhere in the world," said Martin Kits van Heyningen, KVH's chief executive officer.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST"We are also offering free digital daily Filipino newspapers from our NewsLink group so that seafarers can keep abreast of the situation. Not knowing if loved ones are safe is extremely difficult in any emergency situation, and it is particularly wrenching for a seafarer who may be halfway around the world from home."
Who Can Benefit
The free Voice over IP (VoIP) calls will be for the vessel's operations/company phones as well as for crew calling phones. In cases where crewmembers currently use a prepaid KVH calling card, the toll rate for calls to the Philippines will be zero. The complimentary newspapers with local news from the Philippines will be provided to any vessels that request them, whether the vessels are KVH customers or not. To receive NewsLink's Tagalog-language, digital daily newspaper free, Filipino seafarers are encouraged to send an e-mail to [email protected].
KVH's Crewtoo(R) social media network for seafarers is also providing up-to-the-minute information regarding relief efforts on the ground in the Philippines on its blog, www.kvhmobileworld.com.
About KVH Industries, Inc.
KVH Industries is a leading provider of in-motion satellite TV and communications systems, having designed, manufactured, and sold more than 175,000 mobile satellite antennas for applications on vessels, vehicles, and aircraft. KVH is also a leading news, music, and entertainment content provider to many industries including maritime, retail, and leisure. In addition to Crewtoo and NewsLink, KVH's content-related maritime-industry brands include Walport(R) Maritime Training Films and Walport Entertainment On-Board. KVH is based in Middletown, RI, with facilities in Illinois, Denmark, Norway, the U.K., Singapore, the Philippines, Belgium, Holland, Cyprus, and Japan.
