Carnival Corp. said a new satellite provider will improve
internet speed and reliability on its ships.
The cruise company said SES Networks will provide both
geostationary satellites and medium-earth orbit satellites of the type now only
accessed by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. ships.
The new service will be called Medallion Net. Carnival said
it will "provide guests with easy-to-access Wi-Fi that features
exceptional speeds and bandwidth, pervasive stateroom signal strength and
unprecedented service consistency."
By using both types of satellites, Carnival can take
advantage of their complementary strengths.
Medium-earth orbit satellites are much closer to satellite transmitters,
so there is less latency in the signal and faster speeds. Geostationary
satellites, in a much higher orbit, take longer to reach but can cover the
entire globe.
"Medallion Net will set the new standard for Wi-Fi
service at sea and we look forward to rolling it out to our guests," said
John Padgett, chief experience and innovation officer for Carnival Corp.
Carnival did not give a schedule for when the service will
start, or on what ships it will initially be offered. Pricing information was
also not disclosed.