Starlink internet comes to cruise ships: SpaceX has signed its first contract with a cruise ship operator
The cruise company Royal Caribbean Cruises will offer guests access to high-speed Internet during their travels, which will be provided by SpaceX with its Starlink satellite network. This will bring the quality of rest to a new level.
CNBC writes about it.
The partnership between Royal Caribbean and SpaceX is an attempt to change the traditional situation where cruise ships lack high-quality and low-cost network access. It is reported that the implementation of the technology has already begun on all the company’s ships, and the end of equipping the liners will be completed at the beginning of next year.
According to the chairman of Royal Caribbean Jason Liberty (Jason Liberty), the technology will provide on ships an Internet connection that “changes the rules of the game.” In particular, this will improve the quality and availability of some Internet services that require a large channel width, such as the use of video streaming services and video calls.
According to a SpaceX statement, the company’s Internet service will make Royal Caribbean cruises “even more luxurious.” It is known that the Starlink group, which is in low Earth orbit, has about 2,800 satellites today.
In June, the Federal Communications Commission of the United States approved the provision of Starlink satellite Internet to passengers and crews of ships and airplanes, as well as truck drivers. Royal Caribbean’s announcement came shortly after SpaceX’s partnership with T-Mobile to provide Starlink satellites with smartphones that will eventually allow communication from anywhere on the planet.
In addition to the cruise line, SpaceX has signed preliminary agreements with some commercial airlines to provide Wi-Fi onboard airliners. In particular, so far, it is about Hawaiian Airlines and JSX.
Also, Poland recently handed over another 5,000 Starlink terminals to Ukraine.
