Hurtigruten Expeditions, one of the world’s largest expedition cruise lines headquartered in Norway, completed installation of SpaceX Starlink hardware on its entire cruise ship fleet. The installation process was in partnership with communications and IT services provider Speedcast, which has serviced the company for many years. Hurtigruten Expeditions started to test Starlink satellite internet in March 2022 and Speedcast engineers helped the cruise line install Starlink fleetwide all year and were finished by the end of October. Hurtigruten Expeditions is the first cruise line in the industry that completed Starlink installation on all its 14 ships which are capable of transporting up to 600 passengers. “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,” said Hurtigruten Expeditions CEO Asta Lassesen.

Starlink’s broadband service is working alongside Speedcast’s advanced network management technologies, which was integrated on the ships to blend with “multiple transmission paths delivered to the fleet as part of a complete managed service” which includes Starlink Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network, traditional geostationary (GEO) orbit coverage, and other 4G/5G services for Hurtigruten Expeditions’ high-demand applications. “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,” said Joe Spytek, Chief Executive Officer at Speedcast in a press release. “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. Hurtigruten’s vessels sailing from more traditional GEO coverage areas into lower look-angle locations, such as Antarctica, Alaska, Greenland, and the Chilean fjords, will be bolstered with this new LEO coverage, where available.”

“We’re excited to provide Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency internet to Speedcast maritime and enterprise customers. This significant leap in connectivity will open even more possibilities for companies to manage operations anywhere on Earth,” stated SpaceX’s Vice President of Starlink Sales Jonathan Hofeller.

“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,” said Lassesen. “The introduction of new technology makes it easier for everyone onboard to remain connected with friends, family and loved ones, no matter where they are. We’re leading by example and challenge all cruise lines to make [the] internet free for crew members,” they stated.

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 Featured Image Source: Hurtigruten Expeditions