Virgin Voyages first with integrated MEO-LEO SES/Starlink service

Combining medium Earth orbit (MEO) and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite coverage, the service will provide connectivity of up to 1.5Gbps per ship.

Offering this as a standard product sets a new benchmark, according to SES.

No data consumption limitations

The seamlessly integrated high-performance connectivity service with no data consumption limitations will power Virgin Voyages’ offering of tech-savvy cabins, spas, designer suites and entertainment, which all require superior connectivity.

With unlimited Wi-Fi access across multiple devices, passengers can share their cruise experiences live and in real-time via social media and video calls, while using the connected experiences Virgin Voyages offers. In addition, the connectivity delivered by SES Cruise mPOWERED + Starlink PRO service will maintain cutting-edge operation levels for crew across the fleet.

Mirroring connectivity on land

'Our exclusively adult cruise experiences are underpinned by unmatched levels of connectivity at sea that mirror those available on land, so we are excited to partner with SES to offer our guests and crew this level of connectivity, which is unlike any other in the market,' said Steven Worling, senior director of infrastructure & security at Virgin Voyages.

'For cruise operators, being able to constantly innovate and unlock new, superior guest experiences for passengers is essential to stay ahead of the curve,' noted Simon Maher, SVP cruise at SES. 'State-of-the-art connectivity is at the heart of this. This is why we expanded our offering to create a fully integrated end-to-end service that uses multiple orbits, from geostationary to medium and low Earth, to optimize bandwidth and meet the needs of both passengers and crew, wherever in the world they are sailing.'