Feature 2 | BRIDGE & COMMUNICATIONS New wave connectivity


A Finnish start-up company is redefining maritime communications with a military-grade encrypted digital radio network that promises satellite-like services and constant connectivity across the globe


use of communication technologies; however, up until recently, at sea communication and data transfer have been snagged by the limits of satellite connectivity and the service it provides for those communicating between vessels and the shore. A new Cognitive Networked High


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Frequency (CNHF) radio system from Finnish start-up KNL Networks is set to change this, according to its developers, disrupting the way information is passed to and from vessels with a secure and “100% reliable” system that partners and reduces satellite communication. The innovative design, which is believed to be “the only known alternative to satellite communication”, is intended to be used for email communications, Internet of Things (IoT) data, instant messaging, sensor data, and file updates, as well as secure and mission-critical communications, and offers greatly improved coverage, including in polar regions and across a link distance of up to 10,000km. This kind of range is facilitated by


the CNHF radio’s dual-technology, which combines the latest cognitive and software radio technologies with a traditional high frequency (HF) terrestrial radio. The combination uses short wave radio transmissions to transmit data over large distances, and KNL have innovatively utilised the HF spectrum as a gateway to the IP-network (Internet-Protocol- network). The CNHF system operates completely digitally and has been designed with built-in cellular, WiFi and LAN-connections for providing IP-connectivity to other networks. One of the radio’s key features is how


it relays information through different users of the MESH-radio network.


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e live in an age of communication that is constantly increasing our


An illustration of the network in action


KNL Networks explains that: “The CNHF radio acts as a terminal or a base station, depending on the status and location of the user. When a user is lacking cellular or LAN connection, the radio operates as [a] terminal providing services to the user. While connected to the Internet or IP-network, the radio switches to base station mode for offering communication to other users as well, still maintaining [a] terminal role for the end user.” This means that “a dedicated link is always established for the end user, so the data rate is not divided between users as it is in Satcom. This enables an exceptional quality of service [for] most applications except very high quality video streaming.” At present, Satcom has limitations.


These can include non-existent coverage in polar areas (a problem that will grow in significance if Arctic shipping is realised); coverage that is limited to satellite orbits; a shared downlink capacity that may be severely affected by weather and shadowing; and a service that comes at considerable expense. KNL Networks state that their service


will take effect in two phases. The first phase will allow email, IP/file transfer, chat messages and built-in location


tracking, while phase two, following growth in the number of users and therefore the spread and capacity of the MESH-radio network, will enable new applications like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and internet browsing. Toni Linden, CEO of KNL Networks, emphasises that all of these services can be transmitted at the same time other than online video streaming due to the dedicated end to end link the system provides, and adds that the reason online video streaming cannot be handled at this juncture is because of the system’s low bandwidth, which allows data rates of 700-153,000 bit/s. This being said, the system can be optimised to work for the needs of users and the type of data they are trying to transfer.


Cybersecurity Increasing digitalisation is tremendously beneficial, but it raises the issue of cybersecurity and the question of how the maritime industry will cope. With this debate afoot, Linden believes that Satcom is too vulnerable to jamming for vessels to rely on its security in the future, and that the CNHF radio offers one answer. According to Linden, its system is substantially harder to jam or tamper


The Naval Architect March 2016


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