Network APIs for multi-provider, AI-powered network management will unlock new opportunities for maritime applications and services that rely on LTE, satellite and Wi-Fi

Leading maritime solution providers VIKAND and FrontM have teamed up with Neuron to explore a variety of ways to use network APIs to transform onboard medical services

Neuron, a QoE management platform for things that move, announced today that it’s making its network APIs available to maritime solution providers and app developers to enable application-driven quality of experience (QoE) on demand. With Neuron’s network APIs, cruise, shipping, energy and more can reimagine connectivity and QoE for critical onboard services such as medical, disaster response, remote monitoring and management and more, resulting in higher standards of safety and well-being for passengers and crew.

As part of today’s announcement, Neuron, VIKAND, a global leader in maritime healthcare, and FrontM, creator of a low code software platform for maritime, have unveiled a partnership to explore a variety of ways to transform onboard medical services across the maritime industry.

Bandwidth Orchestration in Maritime is Highly Manual and Inefficient

During emergency situations at sea, the apps and services supporting response efforts need exponentially more bandwidth, with elevated QoE, to accelerate response times, communication and decision-making. Consider an already busy network with passengers, crew and corporate teams using the majority of available data capacity, and then add to the mix a medical team managing an emergency on the ship – they might need more than 100 Mbps of symmetrical bandwidth on demand to transfer large files, conduct an HD video conference with remote specialists, perform telediagnosis and more.

Today, it’s not possible to dynamically orchestrate bandwidth across multiple providers and update QoS and network configurations for short periods of time, while also ensuring a high-quality end-user experience – without disrupting all other activity on the ship. Instead, cruise teams have to manually configure and provision capacity to manage this type of request, and prioritize and allocate the bandwidth to the application accordingly. This process is clunky, expensive and can often take days, leaving onboard solution teams to resort to workarounds that are less efficient.

Neuron Network APIs Enable Multi-Provider, AI-Powered Connectivity Orchestration

With Neuron’s network APIs, maritime solution providers and app developers can connect their apps directly to Neuron’s AI-powered network management solution, Neuron Grid, to programmatically request QoE on demand. When an app triggers a request, Neuron will use AI and machine learning to orchestrate network changes and deliver the capacity the app needs, in real-time, with the most optimal QoE – all the onboard team needs to do is press a button in an app. Unlike other network management solutions, Neuron can seamlessly blend any combination of connectivity – whether single- or multi-provider, -orbit or -network – in one, vendor-neutral environment.

“Telecom network APIs are incredibly powerful, but they’ve always been focused on cellular, limiting their value for maritime companies that rely on LTE, satellite and Wi-Fi,” said Benny Retnamony, founder and CEO, Neuron. “Because Neuron enables multi-provider access with AI-powered network management, we are uniquely positioned to facilitate application-driven QoE on demand for the maritime industry. We look forward to collaborating with a range of maritime solution providers to unlock the next generation of apps and services at sea.”

Neuron, VIKAND and FrontM Partner to Transform Onboard Medical Services

Neuron, VIKAND and FrontM are collaborating to explore a variety of ways to use Neuron’s QoE management platform to rethink both emergency and non-emergency medical services for maritime. With Neuron’s network APIs, VIKAND can ensure continuity of care, especially in the event of an emergency when reliable, high-quality connectivity is critical. This will make it possible for doctors to use modern digital imaging equipment for high-resolution X-rays and ultrasounds, or more advanced medical equipment, like smart stethoscopes, right from the ship.

• “On-demand, agile and elastic connectivity is needed to enable advanced healthcare technologies and solutions at sea,” added Benny Retnamony, founder and CEO of Neuron. “Through our partnership with VIKAND and FrontM, we are committed to demonstrating how application-driven QoE on demand orchestrated through the Neuron platform can clear the way for VIKAND to accelerate access to critical onboard medical services.”

• “Technology and connectivity are critical to any vessels at sea,” says Ronald Spithout, Managing Director of OneHealth by VIKAND. “VIKAND together with FrontM are always striving to deploy state of the art modern technology to improve healthcare possibilities at sea. In this context, the integration with Neuron's quality of experience management platform opens the possibility to automatically link available capacity that best matches the specific application requirement of that very moment, which could make all the difference when talking healthcare and/or medical emergencies. VIKAND is delighted to be partnering with Neuron to deploy this technology to the benefit of improving welfare at sea, where it adds value to our operations, preserves crew value and benefits the maritime industry as a whole.”

• Guillermo Acilu, CTO, FrontM adds, “We are excited to harness enhanced connectivity by combining Neuron’s network management API and FrontM’s low-code frameworks for Vikand’s healthcare solution. This is groundbreaking for not only Vikand’s doctors and the crew to access advanced solutions with dynamically elevated connectivity but also to bring efficiency and assurance to the customer at the same time. This partnership with Neuron opens up significant opportunities to maximise the customer experience for a vast array of applications in our app marketplace.”

Click here to view a short demo video by Neuron, VIKAND and FrontM.

Unlocking the Next Generation of Apps and Services at Sea

Application-driven QoE on demand for critical onboard services is just the beginning. In the future, maritime solution providers can also use Neuron’s network APIs to unlock differentiated and personalized passenger experiences. For example, tailoring IPTV content and quality for special events, like Sunday Night Football; dynamic content caching prepositioning for high-definition VoD; or throwing hyper-connected live events and festivals in the middle of the ocean.

Neuron is committed to working with additional partners to explore new ways to use its network APIs for a diverse range of use cases.

About Neuron

Neuron is the first AI-powered QoE management platform for things that move. It uses AI and machine learning to seamlessly blend any combination of connectivity, regardless of provider, orbit or network, in one, vendor-neutral environment, enabling comprehensive analytics and dynamic network orchestration that optimizes for the best possible quality of experience (QoE) – even in the most remote and hard-to-reach places.

Today, Neuron works with world-leading, Fortune 500 companies in aviation, cruise, shipping and more. To learn more, visit: www.getneuron.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

About VIKAND

VIKAND is a leading expert in global medical services and risk mitigation solutions for the maritime industry, operating a global network of 1,500 maritime medical professionals, established across 44 countries, supported by 4 main locations. VIKAND’s caring and committed teams manage more than 4,100 daily maritime medical encounters.

With OneHealth, VIKAND offers a preventive maintenance approach to optimizing the physical and mental health of seafarers. A ship at sea is a standalone ecosystem where people live and work interdependently. OneHealth takes a diversified and inclusive approach to protecting the health and wellness of all onboard.

VIKAND all-inclusive approach unifies preparedness, prevention, detection, response, and management across a range of healthcare concerns, from communicable diseases to chronic illnesses, mental health concerns and more. www.vikand.com

About FrontM

FrontM is a UK Headquartered, collaboration software company offering a comprehensive superapp platform for the maritime industry. By connecting service providers, solution providers, ship operators and their crews, FrontM facilitates improved communications, collaboration, crew welfare and operational efficiency at sea.

Delivering a unique suite of marketplace apps for companies to prioritise crew connectivity and operate the ship as an extension of the shore ranging from crew healthcare enabling medical specialists to deliver comprehensive care, to crew training and skills development with social and just-in-time learning tools, crew entertainment with the industry’s first live IP-TV, together with crew social internet, video conferencing and virtual events.

With a focus on digitalisation and a one-stop solution for integrating services, FrontM is dedicated to overcoming the challenges of app fatigue and advancing the maritime industry's digital transformation. www.frontm.com

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