The days of the thoroughly immersed and mobile-connected passenger are not on the horizon. Instead, those days have already arrived, says Maritime Communications Partner CEO Frode Stoldal.
Stoldal, who has been at the helm of MCP as its CEO for six months, worked hard trying during his time at Cruise Shipping Miami to convince major cruise lines that they need to start "thinking more outside of the box" as far as how to optimize the benefits of Internet connectivity on their ships.
MCP has signed a six-year contract with Norwegian oil company Statoil to build the world's largest 4G network at sea. The offshore network -- on the Norwegian Continental Shelf – uses oil rigs, platforms and supply vessels to expand coverage. This type of project, which is in its pilot phase now and expected to be fully ready by the end of the year, will be used by ferries initially.
But Stoldal says the implications of this expanding technology and connectivity speeds can be a game-changer for cruise ships. MCP has options to build similar networks off South America and Africa.
"The cruise industry is still in a 2G and 3G world," Stoldal said. "They are decades behind. Their customers want a better experience for Facebook and other ways of being connected.
"You have to invest in digital technology."
MCP has more than 60 cruise ship clients. The company signed a contract in January to provide advanced mobile communication services for 33 Carnival Corp. vessels. But MCP thinks the lines can do more to interact with their customers who increasingly want to remain attached to their mobile phones while cruising.
In Stoldal's vision: the cruise line gives passengers faster speeds onboard and continues to have conversations with them throughout the cruise (text messages announce specials and onshore activities, for example), provides services (ticketing for events onshore) and stays in touch after their holidays are over (marketing). For MCP, the "connected passenger experience" works along a spectrum that connects, informs, interacts, analyzes and personalizes.
Stoldal says virtualized software packages placed on ships with the new system would enable ships to cache content and save bandwidth, which improves speed and the overall customer experience. Such upgrades can also improve how equipment communicates with equipment within ship systems, Stoldal says.
"You have to make your ship intelligent," he said. "You have to invest in digital technology. The industry is a little conservative … it needs a refresher when it comes to technology. Not just 'Give me cheaper bandwidth.' "
