The two organisations come together with innovation, safety and sustainability at the forefront
[News Release: 7th November 2022, UK]
The Gentoo Sailing Team continues to chart its course to a competitive Vendée Globe campaign by welcoming a new partner to the team in the form of JET Connectivity.
Founded in 2020, JET Connectivity is a leading 5G systems innovator, working with the maritime industry to help improve safety, sustainability, and smart operations by delivering world leading floating 5G networks at sea.
Signing a strategic relationship agreement, JET Connectivity becomes the Official Communications Partner to Gentoo Sailing Team. JET currently offers the only solution for pop up, floating, high speed maritime connectivity and real time ocean data collection and transfer.
JET’s branding is visually prominent on the Gentoo Sailing Team IMOCA 60 boat in time for the final solo race of the season – the grueling 6,562km transatlantic Route Du Rhum which gets underway on 9 November.
The partnership will allow Gentoo Sailing Team to reap the benefits of maritime 5G connectivity and JET to access a data-rich test bed for their 5G engineering solutions, but the two companies are joined by deeper mutual values and goals.
Both UK enterprises share a dedication and commitment to safety, sustainability and environmental stewardship. Gentoo’s ethos is simple: striving to prove that being sustainable does not come at a cost to performance, but rather excels our innovation and impact. Already championing sustainable materials and attitudes, and running a youth initiative to nurture the next generation and encourage environmental responsibility, the partnership adds another layer to the cause.
JET’s goals are similar: to create a safe and secure, sustainable, smart operational, global blue economy by providing low cost, reliable communications and data to those working in the offshore environment.
The collaboration will bolster both parties’ collective environmental research with Gentoo being able to capture real-time ocean data and trial JET’s systems in some of the most challenging environments at sea on board the boat, which JET can utilise as part of their technological innovation and aquaculture initiatives.
“As a team, communications out at sea during training and races are imperative from a safety point of view as well as being able to communicate with our stakeholders and social communities” said James Harayda, Gentoo Sailing Team Owner. “Technology allows us to utilise our campaign to further contribute to environmental research through such activities as collecting and communicating data samples of, for example, the levels of micro plastics in our oceans. We are delighted to partner with JET Connectivity as they truly share our vision of innovation to help protect our environment and sustainable leadership to make our oceans as safe a place as possible to operate, leaving them in the best possible condition for future generations. Together with all our like-minded partners, we are demonstrating that sailing is a perfect platform to promote sustainable technologies, lifestyle choices, and wider environmental messages.”
James Thomas, CEO, JET Connectivity, said: “Partnering with the Gentoo team is a fantastic step for us in supporting our shared values as well as accessing a real world testbed that will be subjected to some of the harshest environments in the ocean. Having founded JET following a sailing race where I lost all connectivity out in the sea, being able to provide communications networks that could saves lives to anyone operating offshore, at the same time as working with such a forward thinking, environmentally focused sailing team, is personally very exciting for me.”
