KVH reported on 6 August 2026 that declining subscriber numbers had driven a substantial fall in its VSAT service sales. Low-Earth-orbit services, meanwhile, accounted for more than 55 per cent of its second-quarter airtime sales, up from less than 32 per cent a year earlier. The figures cover KVH’s wider business, including commercial shipping, so they cannot tell us how many yachts have removed their antennas. They do show spending moving towards LEO at an established maritime supplier. [1]
For a yacht already sending most of its traffic over Starlink, the next VSAT renewal deserves attention. The conventional geostationary, or GEO, connection may carry little traffic while still attracting a substantial annual bill. If the antenna is also due for major servicing, the engineer has to explain why it should remain in the budget.
There may be a good answer. An owner who works from the yacht might willingly pay for a connection used only during occasional outages. A different programme might accept reduced service and spend the money elsewhere. Comparing routine data usage will not resolve that choice; the review needs to establish what the backup could actually support when called upon.
Some yards are already building without the familiar domes. Feadship’s 101-metre Moonrise has Starlink receivers integrated into the superstructure, a change the yard highlighted when it unveiled the yacht in March 2025. The published description does not explain the complete backup arrangement, so the absence of domes should not be mistaken for a communications design that other yachts can simply copy. [2]
What OmniAccess is changing
OmniAccess’s NextGen Fusion 2.0, launched on 28 May 2026, offers a different way to pay for a connection that might spend much of its time in reserve. It puts LEO and GEO capacity under one subscription with a shared data allowance. The service description identifies Starlink and Eutelsat OneWeb as its LEO networks, alongside GEO VSAT. [3] [4]
For an existing VSAT customer, that could change the renewal discussion. Rather than comparing Starlink with a separate GEO subscription that sees little use, the yacht can ask what retaining GEO adds to the price of the combined service. The launch announcement provides no prices, however, and a pooled allowance does not pay for repairs to an ageing antenna. Any claimed saving needs to survive a quotation that includes those costs.
The fallback bandwidth deserves particular attention. A generous data allowance says how much can be consumed, not how quickly it can be delivered through the remaining connection. Where the offer includes a committed information rate, the contract should state the minimum bandwidth and the conditions under which it applies. Without that detail, the owner cannot judge whether the backup will support a working day onboard or only essential communications.
OmniAccess also offers managed Starlink with round-the-clock technical support. A yacht does not necessarily have to retain GEO to keep professional help with its network. The replacement quotation should make clear whether the same support arrangements continue after VSAT is removed; that is a commercial question separate from the choice of satellite system. [5]
Replacing GEO with a second LEO service
OneWeb’s inclusion in Fusion means the discussion need not wait for Amazon. A second LEO constellation is already represented in OmniAccess’s published offering, although its suitability still needs checking against the yacht’s route and the service being quoted. [4]
Amazon Leo would widen that choice. Its maritime reseller agreements with ELCOME and MTN, announced on 10 February 2026, explicitly include yachting. For a project considering Starlink alongside Amazon, the useful next step is to obtain a firm service proposal for the intended cruising area and delivery date. The reseller announcement alone is not evidence that a particular yacht can commission the required service when it needs it. [6]
The distinction between another terminal and another provider matters here. A second Starlink antenna can help with a local hardware failure or an obstructed view, provided the installation is designed accordingly. It still depends on Starlink. A terminal on another constellation offers an alternative during a provider-specific outage, which could replace an important part of the job previously given to GEO.
That is a reason to examine dual LEO seriously, rather than assume that resilience always requires a geostationary link. The remaining dependencies need to be traced through the actual installation. Two satellite services connected through one failed router will leave the yacht just as disconnected. Using different constellations also does not establish permission to operate in every destination. Starlink itself distinguishes ocean-capable plans from land-only plans, so the service terms belong in the itinerary review. [7]
Retaining GEO remains a reasonable option where it provides useful service that the proposed LEO combination cannot. Inmarsat’s NexusWave follows that approach, combining GEO and LEO with an additional L-band resilience layer. Its published design offers one example of how a provider retains other paths; it does not establish that every yacht needs the same arrangement. [8]
A wider project to remove the domes should also keep television separate from the broadband decision. A dedicated satellite-TV antenna is not the VSAT internet antenna. Removing both means accepting a further change in how television reaches the yacht, as Feadship’s account of the two Moonrise installations illustrates. [9]
The required GMDSS installation remains separate too. IMO recognises Inmarsat and Iridium for GMDSS satellite services; ordinary broadband terminals are not substitutes for the approved distress and safety equipment. [10]
References
All references accessed 6 September 2026.