COMING SOON: A FASTER CONNECTION AT SEA

Bill Martin -- Royal Caribbean CIO

In a world where people surveyed say they would give up anything except surfing the Web, being connected 24/7 is a big deal. So it's sometimes a shock when you try to use the Internet on a cruise ship and BAM! You feel like you've been teleported back to the Stone Age of modems and dial-up. Either your connection is s-l-o-w ... comes and goes ... or not there at all.

Guess what? Help is on the way.

Royal Caribbean, a longtime leader in innovation, has partnered with O3b Networks, located in the Channel Islands, to pioneer a new way for guests to connect while at sea.

Bill Martin, Royal Caribbean's CIO, said if all goes according to plan, the new service will debut on Oasis of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship, around June or July of 2013. "We know staying connected is important to our customers," said Martin. "Using O3b will provide both more bandwidth and much faster access to the Internet."

That's because, as Martin explained it, O3b will deploy Medium-Earth-Orbit (MEO) satellites -- initially eight in all -- that will orbit at a much lower altitude than traditional geosynchronous satellites, which occupy a fixed place in the sky. Essentially, the signals don't have to travel as far, which means speedier response times.

One result, Martin noted, might be a big increase in passengers using social sharing services like Facebook. What's a more perfect application for Facebook than sharing photos of family and friends on a cruise ship vacation? Right now it can be pretty tedious. But that may all change soon. "Think about the viral marketing for the brand that provides," Martin added.

Why eight satellites? Since the satellites are in a much lower orbit, as the ship moves, there is a "hand-off" of signals from one satellite to another. O3b will be launching the first of these satellites in early 2013.

Royal Caribbean's CEO, Adam Goldstein, right,
at the Ob3 signing ceremony aboard Oasis
(Credit: Royal Caribbean)

Also key is the service area. O3b will be serving an area spanning either side of the equator, which is perfect for Royal Caribbean's fleet operating in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, Martin noted. For ships in the far latitudes, like Alaska, there will be something for them, too. Martin said Royal is working with the Harris CapRock Communications Maritime group out of Melbourne, Florida to upgrade service on those ships, starting with Enchantment of the Seas. 

What about price? Martin indicated they were exploring a number of potential options. One could be modeled after "what one might find at a high-end resort," where you have unlimited use of the Internet for a flat rate per day, depending on the number of devices connected. Bottom line, the expectation is passengers will get a much better service at a lower price.

If the rollout on Oasis proves successful and popular, you can bet it won't be long before Allure of the Seas is next in line, and then others in the Royal fleet. I suspect competitors will be watching closely as well.

Just the thought of a faster Internet connection at sea has me humming the Hallelujah Chorus. -- Gerry