MIAMI-NCL Corp. said it will begin offering wireless service using AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and Maritime Telecommunications Network’s Wireless Maritime Service to its North American cruise ship passengers. The service is scheduled to launch on NCL’s Norwegian Sun cruise ship as soon as next month and could be made available across its entire fleet within a year.
The Wireless Maritime Service combines satellite and traditional ground-based wireless networks to allow customers to place and receive calls as well as access handset-based data and messaging services using their own handset and own phone number while in international waters. The service is currently available to most passengers with GSM phones operating in the 900 MHz or 1.9 GHz frequency bands, with passengers billed by the carrier to whom they subscribe at roaming rates similar to land-based offerings.
European-based Island Cruises was the first company to announce plans to use Wireless Maritime’s service when it said last month that it would offer the service on its Island Escape cruise ship.
