Hurtigruten Expeditions will be the first cruise line to implement SpaceX’s innovative broadband service Starlink across all ships.
The implementation is in cooperation with long-time connectivity partner Speedcast and will be completed in October.
Hurtigruten Expeditions CEO Asta Lassesen said: “As the world leader in exploration travel, it’s only fitting that we bring the world’s most innovative technologies onboard our ships to further enhance the experience and day-to-day lives for our guests, crew, partners and the communities we visit.”
Testing and integration of Starlink terminals onboard the fleet began in March. Installation will be complete by end of October.
This will make Hurtigruten Expeditions the first cruise line to introduce high-speed, low-latency connectivity across its entire fleet.
“We’ve seen major players announcing plans for implementation of Starlink connectivity.
“Our partnership with Speedcast and fleetwide introduction of the new service not only puts us ahead of the rest of the cruise industry, it also puts us ahead of the technology.
“When Starlink introduces maritime coverage in Antarctica and the Arctic, we will be ready,” Lassesen said
Joe Spytek, Chief Executive Officer at Speedcast, said: “With vessels operating in some of the most remote and spectacular areas of the world, Hurtigruten Expeditions is an ideal partner for introducing groundbreaking technology in the cruise industry.
“Speedcast’s expertise lies in our ability to combine all available connectivity paths and manage a complete service that offers the highest levels of uptime, availability and performance”
Guests, crew and scientists on all three Hurtigruten Expeditions ships that will explore Antarctica from this fall, will be the first to do so on ships able to connect through the faster broadband service.
Starlink is slated to introduce Antarctic maritime coverage in Q4 2022.
Through an industry-leading network of science partnerships, Hurtigruten Expeditions hosts scientists on every sailing on every ship.
All ships feature signature Science Centers and a variety of science equipment, and all guests are offered to take part in citizen science programs.
Faster and more reliable internet further enables the delivery of scientific results from some of the most unexplored areas of the planet.
Hurtigruten Expeditions offers free internet connectivity not only for guests but also for all crew members.
For more information, visit hurtigruten.com
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