by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:42 AM ET, Wed August 31, 2022
Royal Caribbean Group announced plans to become the first cruise company to introduce SpaceX's Starlink high-speed, low-latency connectivity.
The innovative broadband internet service will be installed on all Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises ships, along with all new vessels for each of the brands.
Deployment of the Starlink technology across the fleet will begin immediately, leveraging the insights obtained from the trial onboard Freedom of the Seas. The installation is slated to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2023.
"Our purpose as a company is to deliver the best vacation experiences to our guests responsibly, and this new offering, which is the biggest public deployment of Starlink's high-speed internet in the travel industry so far, demonstrates our commitment to that purpose," Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty said.
"This technology will provide game-changing internet connectivity onboard our ships, enhancing the cruise experience for guests and crew alike," Liberty continued. "It will improve and enable more high-bandwidth activities like video streaming as well as activities like video calls. Using Starlink is one more example of our continued focus on innovation and excellence for our guests, our crew, the communities we visit and our shareholders."
In June, PC Magazine reported that Royal Caribbean was looking to partner with Elon Musk's SpaceX Starlink to bring Wi-Fi capability to its ships. RCCL reported the potential partnership in a public filing with the Federal Communications Commission.
In addition, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced in July that SpaceX would be authorized to use its Starlink satellite internet network to expand broadband offerings to commercial airlines, ships and vehicles.
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