The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology highlighted the "great potential" of the Azores as a "prime location" for testing and technological projects demonstrations about the exploration and use of oceans.
 
Fausto Brito e Abreu spoke off Faial Island on board of the vessel "Pintado," owned by the Department of Oceanography and Fisheries of the University of the Azores, during an operation conducted under the BLUECOM+ project. The latter aims to render Internet access on high seas possible on broadband and at low cost, covering an extension of 100 kilometres from the coast and using standard access technologies, such as Wi-Fi and 4G.
 
The Regional Secretary stressed that this project is "of great importance," taking into consideration "the difficulties of communication at sea" as well as the elevated cost of satellite communications. He also added that BLUECOM+ may be "an alternative that uses cutting-edge technology.”
 
In this regard, he conveyed his satisfaction with the fact that the researchers at the Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science of Porto – INESC TEC, involved in the BLUECOM+, have chosen the Azores to test this "pioneer project." This decision values, once again, the archipelago as a privileged and unique hub for matters related to the sea and communications.
 
The BLUECOM + project is based on the use of helium balloons anchored on buoys, vessels or wind farms, which form an air broadband network operating in frequency bands released by the analogue TV (500 MHz) to ensure long-range radio communications.
 
Brito e Abreu said he expects that "the Azores can provide a contribution to transition from the demonstration phase to the system implementation phase in the real world." In this regard, he pointed out some activities that may benefit from this project, such as fishing, recreational boating or maritime transport, which increasingly require access to communications at sea, as well as environmental monitoring and scientific research.
 
Moreover, he stressed "the expected increase of scientific activities in the Azores related to the sea and the atmosphere with the entry into operation of the AIR Centre," the future international research centre based in the Azores.
 
The Regional Secretary for the Sea also stressed the relevant of continuing to promote partnerships between large national research centres, such as INESC TEC, "one of the prominent and recognised technology centres in Portugal" and the University of the Azores, through IMAR / DOP; the latter is considered to be "a research centre of excellence in marine science."
 
The BLUECOM + is a project coordinated by INESC TEC in partnership with the Portuguese Sea and Atmosphere Institute (IPMA) and the Norwegian company MARLO AS and is funded by the EEA Grants mechanism.
 
The BLUECOM + operation kicked off Thursday in the Condor bank off Faial Island and runs until Saturday. It has established partnerships with the Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology and the Department of Oceanography and Fisheries of the University of the Azores.