The internet on cruise ships has been slow. Cruise ships typically use gyroscopic satellites that have to be adjusted every time they move. In order to exchange data a ship must have a line of sight to a satellite. Satellite signal loss can occur when cruise ships pass through the Norwegian fjords. A lot of angry passengers are left.
The Starlink service is available for maritime vessels. The launch of thousands of SpaceX satellites into low Earth orbit promises incredibly low-latency networks with download speeds of up to 350 mbps. Although many Starlink customers live in cities and other areas with good connection, the company's primary goal is to connect communities that lack internet access.
Satellites for at-sea internet connections can cost a cruise company hundreds of thousands of dollars, but maritime communications companies can more or less charge what they want. With a one-off equipment purchase of $10,000 and a monthly charge of $5,000 for two Starlink terminals, cruise ships can cut their costs dramatically.
How will this affect other satellite companies and what opportunities do they have? Let's take a closer look.
The Starlink megaconstellation was photographed.
The International Bureau of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission received a request from the company at the end of last year. The lasers will be used to serve consumers around the world.
"Laser links in orbit can reduce long-distance latency by as much as 50% due to higher speed of light in vacuum and shorter path than undersea fiber," Musk explained in a twit last year.
Since the launch of Starlink, many cruise ships have switched to it. The business claimed that by connecting Starlink to VSAT, it was possible to cut costs by 70%. An account from a journalist testing the internet speeds on a Royal Ferries Cruise ship found that the download speed was 77.03 mbps and the upload speed was 15.72 mbps. They were able to stream movies without buffering.
The service only operates in the coastal seas of the USA, Europe, Australia, Brazil, Chile, and the majority of southern Australia. The service will be expanded in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to the company.
Starlink's movements put other satellite providers in a tough spot. Some people don't seem concerned. A representative for the U.K. based satcoms company recently made a statement.
It's very hard to provide that kind of coverage for new entrants like SpaceX and OneWeb.
The security and resilience that customers need isn't being delivered by the first- generation LEO operators.
This approach may seem bold and aggressive, but the lack of coverage is a potential sticking point. OneWeb received a £400 million investment from the U.K. government in order to bail it out. The company is in a good position since it has already launched more than 3000 Starlink satellites.
It's clear that Starlink's internet service for cruise ships could be revolutionary. High download speeds will allow cruise ships to provide activities such as video chatting with loved ones and buffer-less video streaming. Starlink Maritime will be able to compete with other providers over the next few years.
Nicholas is a co- founder and COO of netTALK CONNECT and netTALK MARITIME. Space.com's expert voices: op-ed and insights was written by him. We encourage you to follow us on social media:
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