Royal Caribbean Group will be the first cruise line to use SpaceX’s Starlink high-speed, low-latency connectivity.
The cutting-edge broadband internet service will be implemented aboard all Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises ships, as well as all new boats for each brand.
Starlink technology will be deployed immediately across the fleet, leveraging lessons learned from the experiment aboard Freedom of the Seas. Installation is scheduled to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2023.
“Our purpose as a company is to deliver the best vacation experiences to our guests responsibly, and this new offering, which is the biggest public deployment of Starlink’s high-speed internet in the travel industry so far, demonstrates our commitment to that purpose,” Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty said.
“This technology will provide game-changing internet connectivity onboard our ships, enhancing the cruise experience for guests and crew alike,” Liberty continued. “It will improve and enable more high-bandwidth activities like video streaming as well as activities like video calls. Using Starlink is one more example of our continued focus on innovation and excellence for our guests, our crew, the communities we visit and our shareholders.”
PC Magazine stated in June that Royal Caribbean was hoping to collaborate with Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starlink to deliver Wi-Fi to its ships. The possible agreement was disclosed by RCCL in a public filing with the Federal Communications Commission.
Furthermore, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said in July that SpaceX may use its Starlink satellite Internet network to extend broadband service to commercial aircraft, ships and vehicles.