This article was first published in the Spring/Summer 2019 issue of Spring/Summer 2019 issue of International Cruise & Ferry Review. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed.
The digital transformation of the maritime industry will carry us forward into a networked society, enabled by the internet of things. New technologies will change the way we communicate, the way we work and operate, the way we do our business and the way we think. At the same time, it will offer the business a possibility to generate increased revenue from new sources of income and reduced operational cost.
Smartphones and other mobile devices have evolved to become central to everything we do in our lives, and we want to be as well connected at sea as we are on land. Being cut off from an ever-expanding digital world when at sea is no longer acceptable. Guests want to be online, sending pictures to friends back home within seconds of taking them and making video calls with family. They also want to be able to read up on their next port of call, all while streaming films and their favourite music.
In a situation like this, when passengers’ needs meet new technology, cruise and ferry companies are provided with several opportunities of additional operational benefits and new ways of making money. With the rise of digitalisation, and the introduction of the internet of things, devices can interact both onboard and ashore. Information is collected and exchanged, and data is used both to enhance the passenger experience and the company’s earnings through new sources of income and reduced operational cost.
An onboard location-based information flow can provide passengers with offers, news and tips they would otherwise miss. With it, passengers can control purchases and orders from their own mobile devices, all enhancing the passenger’s quality of experience.
At the same time, ships provided with the ability to wirelessly transmit and process huge amounts of information per second will offer new potential, giving a technological win-win situation for both the company and their passengers.
What’s clear is that now is the time to unleash the endless possibilities of onboard digitising. Opportunity is knocking, and you have to open up the door and let it in. It is now more important than ever before to stay up to date – be in the race, don’t get left behind.
Telenor Maritime can help you to unleash the endless possibilities of onboard digitising. The company has been at the forefront of secure connectivity at sea since 2004, and is the only supplier offering a digital platform with high-speed internet in one and the same ecosystem. That is why its solutions are chosen by a growing number of shipowners worldwide.
Expanding business with loyal customers is the proof of quality. Telenor Maritime has recently signed a long-term contract with the world’s largest cruise company Carnival Corporation, substantially extending the long-term partnership. Supplying 47 cruise ships with advanced mobile cellular communication services, serving close to 135,000 people every day with mobile voice, texting (SMS) and data (mobile internet) coverage while at sea. Carnival has been a customer with Telenor Maritime since 2006 and will follow suit with its other customer portfolio from 2004. The agreement is an extension of existing agreements with Telenor Maritime as the exclusive onboard cellular provider for the fleets of AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard and P&O (UK) Cruises ships.
Not only leading the evolution of secure connectivity at sea, Telenor Maritime offers a risk-free business model which allows you to generate a profitable income from connectivity services. If you want outcome from the technology, not ownership to it, Telenor Maritime opens up the opportunity for a subscription economy. If you want to drive innovative, and potentially disruptive, technologies onboard and create predictable, recurring revenue streams, while establishing a mutually beneficial relationship that will grow and improve over time, Telenor Maritime has the right solutions. Buying has changed – your business can purchase complex products and services and have them fulfilled much more easily and with significantly less investment than in the past.
Telenor Maritime is owned by Telenor ASA, which ranks among the 10 largest mobile operators in the world. Its best practice in digitising and cybersecurity provides Telenor Maritime with unique, cross vertical benefits that are to their customers’ advantage.
With its headquarters and research and development operations in Arendal on the southern coast of Norway, Telenor Maritime meet global needs directly and through a network of partners. With its wealth of experience, it can pilot shipowners through the unchartered waters of disruptive technology and equip their fleet with cyber-secure digital infrastructures. That is onboard digitising the Telenor Maritime way.
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