Specialist in satellite communication for ships since 2001
The Lorient-based company Thalos was founded in 2001. It was born out of a need for fishing vessels to have access to offshore satellite data, particularly for their oceanography software. "Our role is to bring connectivity on board. Our customers are professionals, sailing on the high seas, as satellite data is only of real interest beyond 20 nautical miles from the coast. Our first mission is to advise the customer to make the right choice among the different packages and antennas according to the frequency bands, satellite constellations so that it corresponds to their needs. We then sell the hardware and deploy it on the ship" explains Delphine Robinet, marketing manager of Thalos.
Oceanbox, a server developed by Thalos for the boat
To meet the specific needs of satellite communication, Thalos has created a server called Oceanbox. All the software is developed internally by the R&D team of the Breton company. Oceanbox manages satellite communications, the onboard network, compresses files sent, manages video or photo transfers via an ftp allowing automatic processing to avoid problems related to connection breaks, processes What'sApp communications, etc. "The basic idea was to avoid the very costly off-packages in satellite, by blocking things like an unrequested Windows update. For example, for a Class40 team with a limited budget, we can block the sending of images on What'sApp. We can also develop features on demand," says Dorig Robin, ocean racing business manager.
Ocean racing, a vector for diversification and innovation
By entering the ocean racing market with its installation partner ROM Arrangé, Thalos is offering itself a diversification, a showcase and an opportunity for innovation. "In particular, we have adapted our existing modules to different environments, such as for voice processing in a very noisy IMOCA. There are also weight and power consumption constraints and a need for automation," explains Dorig Robin.
"It's a virtuous circle in a sector used to innovation. It also prepares us and allows us to show that we know the field of sailing with the arrival of new commercial vessels with velelic propulsion" Delphine Robinet is delighted.
