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Carnival Corp. expands Wi-Fi connectivity with Starlink deal

Carnival Corp. & plc said its new agreement with SpaceX's Starlink will enable faster, more reliable and greater capacity Wi-Fi on a global scale.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

January 18, 2023

2 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

Starlink is the leader in low earth orbit satellite technology. Satellites orbiting closer to earth reduce latency, the time it takes for data to travel between a user and the server.

Carnival and AIDA for starters

Fleet rollout of Starlink began in December with Carnival Cruise Line and AIDA Cruises ships, with plans to expand the service to several other brands.

Carnival Corp. said Starlink greatly advances its goal to provide the best available Wi-Fi experience, including the ability to share photos and videos, stream movies and view live sporting events and other content with a reliable connection at faster speeds.

'For many of our guests, it has become more and more important to maintain the type of connectivity at sea that they’ve become accustomed to at home, and of course to share the unforgettable experiences of their cruise with friends and family,' said Josh Weinstein, CEO of Carnival Corp.

Also benefits ship-shore office communications and crew

According to Weinstein, 'The added bandwidth will give the brands the capabilities and flexibility to introduce new guest services and features, as well as help boost operational functions like onboard equipment monitoring and real-time communications between ship and shore teams. And, importantly, adding Starlink’s innovative technology to the company’s existing connectivity platform will also help our amazing crew stay in touch with friends and loved ones.'

'In even the most remote waters,' added Jonathan Hofeller, VP of Starlink sales for SpaceX, 'guests onboard Carnival Corporation ships will be able to share real-time updates with friends and family.'

Carnival's multi-provider approach

Starlink joins a growing portfolio of communications service, satellite and other technology providers that make up Carnival Corp.'s connectivity ecosystem. As a global operator with nearly 100 ships visiting more than 700 ports worldwide, the company's multi-provider connectivity framework is designed to strategically route Internet traffic to optimize network speeds across the fleet anywhere in the world.

The Starlink agreement is the latest in a series of moves that have nearly tripled ship bandwidth across the Carnival Corp. fleet since 2019. 

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

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