Mobile Operator News

Global maritime mobile operator Telenor Maritime said it will expand communications services for longstanding partner DFDS, deploying its connectivity platform with Premium Wi-Fi, Ka VSAT and mobile broadband backhaul for the Northern European shipping company. “We are moving fast forward into the Networked Society, and we are expecting the same experience whether we are at home or at sea when using our mobile devices,” said Frode Støldal, CEO of Telenor Maritime. “Speed and connectivity are crucial for passengers, and even more so in situations where a mobile device is used for business.

Telenor Maritime has acquired SatPoint AB, a firm with a strong position in the Baltic Sea with more than 125 maritime broadband installations on ferries, merchant vessels, and floating accommodation units. The merger is dependent on approval from competition laws. SatPoint AB is a provider of broadband satellite communication and IT services for maritime customers in Europe and across the globe, delivering VSAT equipment and capacity, teleport, and operations, enabling services such as VoIP, GSM, VoD, and TV. SatPoint AB was founded in 2002 in Stockholm, Sweden. “It is important to note that the maritime sector has been undergoing a period of consolidation,” said Frode Støldal, CEO of Telenor Maritime.

There’s a digital disconnect offshore. The communication standards we take for granted on land are cut adrift at sea; hampering data transfer for businesses, while severing individuals’ lifelines to social media networks. What’s to ‘like’ about that? Frode Støldal, CEO of MCP, has had enough. “We think it’s time for a new mobile communications reality,” says a steely eyed Frode Støldal from his seat at the Offshore Technology Days conference in Bergen, Norway. “The offshore community suffers…

The Crimean State Council nationalized the Kerch-based cargo port Kamysh-Burun belonging to the Ukrainian financial-industrial group Altcom. According to Crimean Parliament, nationalization was necessary to the conservation and effective use of movable and immovable property, land plots located on the territory of the Republic of Crimea and ensuring smooth functioning of transport infrastructure. These measures were needed for the creation of safe and comfortable conditions associated with the provision of services in the field of transport, and also to prevent the occurrence of destructive situations in the Crimea. Recently, Crimean…

Brommeland Elektronikk AS, the Norwegian distributor for KNS, was awarded a contract to supply 13 VSAT systems to a large part of the Norwegian shipowner Kopervik Group fleet. The KNS VSAT systems will be supplied through a leasing program, and Kopervik Group is one of several other shipping companies utilizing this program. Cost-wise it enables the company to optimize communication cost and get the possibilities to be online at sea and have the latest technology in the complete fleet at the same time, which again is beneficial in regards to crew-changes, service etc. Integration will take place during the end of 2014. The program consists of KNS A6 VSAT systems fully integrated with the existing mobile phone systems both on vessels and in company offices.

Iceland's On-Waves selects Delaware's IMSWorkX feature rich service delivery platform for its cruise & merchant ship mobile telephone service. Maritime mobile operator On-Waves Ehf, a subsidiary of Icelandic global telecom service provider Siminn (formerly Iceland Telecom), has selected the XpressWorkX Service Delivery Platform from IMSWorkX, Inc. as a base from which to enhance its range of rich IP-based mobile telephony services on cruise ships and merchant marine vessels. The On-Waves customer base of vessels is diverse, multi-national and multi-lingual. "XpressWorkX is an ideal platform for carrier companies like On-Waves because it offers rapid customization and adaptation of existing applications as well as creation of new ones.

Thuraya Telecommunications Company has launched its roaming service in the United States of America in partnership with the American mobile operator, T-Mobile. The service, which commenced on July 12, allows Thuraya subscribers to roam seamlessly with their Thuraya mobile numbers into the T-Mobile network that reaches 96 percent of Americans. Thuraya customers in the region can now make and receive calls, and also send and receive text messages (SMS). The Company’s GmPRS roaming service will be enabled afterwards on the T-Mobile network. Mr. Tarek Shqairat, Director of Inter-Carrier Relations, Thuraya Telecommunications Company, said: “With more than 350 roaming partners worldwide, Thuraya is the only satellite operator offering roaming services over GSM networks.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises passengers can now remain in touch in the most remote corners of the world. The luxury cruise operator is adding OnAir’s mobile phone services, already deployed on MS EUROPA, to its two Expedition ships, MS HANSEATIC and MS BREMEN. OnAir’s satellite service was designed to allow passengers to use their own mobile devices just as they do on dry land, for calls, text messages, email and mobile data. Usage is billed by the passenger’s mobile operator, in the same way as international roaming, making it very simple to use.

Telenor of Norway and Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications (LMGT) announced that Telenor will acquire LMGT's COMSAT Mobile Communications operations for $116.5 million in cash. The acquisition, which positions Telenor as a major global satellite mobile operator, is subject to regulatory approvals. COMSAT Mobile, with annual revenues in excess of $100 million, provides global mobile communications solutions to the maritime, land mobile and aeronautical communities, and offers data, voice, fax, telex and video capabilities via the Inmarsat satellite constellation. Telenor's purchase of COMSAT Mobile operations also includes two earth station facilities in Southbury, Connecticut, and Santa Paula, California. Linking the two U.S.

(MCP), obtaining a 100 percent stake in the mobile operator. MCP is a supplier of mobile communication to ferries and cruise ships. The service allows passengers and crew on ferries and ships around the world to make and receive calls and SMS using their mobile telephones. Telenor has industrial ambitions for its acquisition of MCP as the company is considered complimentary to Telenor's existing product range in the international portfolio. MCP offers GSM coverage in international waters, a market where opportunities go well beyond today's ferries and cruise ships. Through MCP, Telenor sees the opportunity to develop services in the interface between GSM and satellite.