MCP Wins Norwegian Line Contract
Arendal, Norway - Maritime Communications Partner (MCP) has strengthened its foothold in the U.S. cruise market through a major telecommunications contract with Norwegian Cruise Line. The contract includes the entire fleet and two large new builds.
MCP’s contract with Norwegian Cruise Line covers cellular telephony and pre-paid services to passengers and crew in the existing fleet and the two yet-to-be launched cruise ships. All the ships will be equipped with a state-of-the-art network, enabling future migration to 3G and LTE technologies.
“The mobile communication needs of our guests are changing rapidly,” said Ross Henderson, Norwegian’s Vice President of Onboard Services. “We were impressed with MCP’s progressive attitude toward innovation - making MCP the best fit for Norwegian moving forward. As part of Telenor, MCP can tap into a wide range of other onboard communications services.”
“This deal adds a fleet of cruise ships to our growing family of vessels,” said Fred Sorensen, MCP’s Managing Director for the Americas. “This is another step in the right direction for MCP in the U.S. and is a positive development for the cruise operators, their passengers and crew members. Clearly, the major industry players are seeking to meet their customers’ demands by providing the best possible modern and future-proof communications systems available on the market today.”
“We are happy that MCP is able to design and operate the most modern networks available at sea,” said Norwegian’s CIO Vincent Cirel. “We fully expect MCP’s network to go a long way in addressing our cellular expectations and look forward to other creative solutions we can deliver to our passengers and crew members.”