Speedcast International has delivered 3.174 Gbps of satellite bandwidth on board the ‘Carnival Horizon’, Carnival’s latest cruise ship.
This Internet experience follows on the successful installation on board ‘Carnival Vista’, which has been hosting the frictionless high-bandwidth Internet solution for over six months.
The high data rate was initially achieved at ’Carnival Horizon’s’ naming ceremony on 23rd May, 2018 in New York. Speedcast’s solution uses bandwidth from multiple satellite operators, in this case using both Intelsat and Telesat.
This initiative involved the selection of the best satellites in terms of power, look angle and coverage, including the latest high-throughput satellites (HTS) with beams specifically designed for maritime applications, in order to deliver a similar connectivity experience to be found on land.
Intelsat and Telesat were key players in achieving of this high connectivity experience, securing the necessary capacity and working in close partnership with the Speedcast team for engineering, the company said.
“Carnival Cruise Line is proud to introduce ‘Carnival Horizon’, the company’s newest and second of the Vista-class ships,” said Reza Rasoulian, Carnival’s vice president of Global Connectivity. “The ‘Horizon’ was delivered with our new industry-leading next generation connectivity solution leveraging an innovative satellite bandwidth and technology approach, which we have developed over the past several years enabling our guests to enjoy fast, reliable, land-like connectivity to share their amazing vacation experiences on social media, keep up with news, and interact with friends and family even while at sea.”
“The ‘Carnival Horizon’ is outfitted with best-in-class technology for both guest enjoyment and operations, and Speedcast is thankful for the opportunity to continue this partnership with Carnival as its trusted provider for communications,” said PJ Beylier, Speedcast CEO. “The delivery of this record-breaking solution leverages the latest innovations in end-to-end networking, high throughput satellites, next-generation modems and optimisation technology in order to reach a new standard in guest experience; one which allows them to enjoy an internet experience similar to what they have at home.
“We look forward to working hand-in-hand with Carnival to push the envelope of innovation, not just in terms of the largest amount of satellite bandwidth provided, but also utilising IT solutions that will help them to achieve top-notch guest satisfaction on all of their ships, from connectivity to data management, entertainment content and more,” he added.
Carnival and Speedcast have collaborated to create what they claim to be the industry’s first ever fully-integrated solution unique to Carnival, combining blockage-free connectivity using the latest and most powerful Intellian antennas available on the market today, using frequency spectrums across C-, Ku- and Ka-Band.
Utilising multiple bands and frequencies based on ship location, weather conditions, bandwidth availability and satellite coverage provides enhanced resilience and optimisation, and allows all guest, crew, voice and corporate traffic to have simultaneous access to all available links at all times. The traffic is then routed accordingly via Speedcast’s global MPLS network, reaching its final destination with minimal latency.
The entire network is monitored by Speedcast 24/7 network operations centres, which support connectivity to around 70% of all cruise passengers worldwide.
Carnival Cruise Line is working on plans for a further rollout of this connectivity solution throughout its fleet.
