Carnival Corp. will upgrade internet across all brands
Carnival Corp. plans to roll out faster internet service across all of its brands as it enters into an agreement to use SpaceX’s Starlink satellite technology.
Starlink uses low Earth orbit satellites to provide lower latency (the time it takes for data to reach a device) and higher connectivity.
The company began rolling out Starlink on Carnival Cruise Line and Aida Cruises ships in December and plans to install Starlink on Princess, Holland America Line, Seabourn and Cunard Line along with international brands P&O Cruises in Australia and the U.K. and Costa Cruises.
Carnival Corp. is the latest in a series of cruise companies contracting with Starlink to provide faster internet service at sea. Royal Caribbean Group plans to install Starlink across its entire fleet, including the Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea brands. Hurtigruten also uses Starlink and Windstar has been exploring whether the service would work for several of its ships.
- Cover story: Cruise ship WiFi gets a boost
The move to faster internet comes as guests expect to be able to make video calls, stream content and post on Instagram and TikTok as they do on land.
Carnival Corp. said the company has tripled bandwidth since 2019 and said the Starlink agreement will offer brands the capability to introduce new guest services and features while boosting operational functions like onboard equipment monitoring and communications between ship and shore teams and offer better internet connectivity to its crew members.
Source: Read Full Article
