Keeping in touch

P&O Cruises` passengers need no longer abandon their mobile phones on the quayside. A new ship-borne mobile phone system, Cruise Connect, from British Telecom Aeronautical and Maritime (BT A&M) – recently acquired by Stratos Global – will allow P&O Cruise passengers to use their mobile phones on board ship exactly as they would if roaming abroad, offering voice calls and text messaging. Research among passengers has shown that the mobile phone is seen as an essential for everyday life aboard a luxury cruise liner as it is on land. Cruise Connect will offer passengers the choice to make and receive calls on their mobile phones anywhere on the cruise ships` itineraries and have the charges appear on their monthly mobile phone bill. How the system works: Once a passenger presses the call button on his mobile, the signal goes to one of five or so small antennae located around the ship, which are linked to the onboard Interwave GSM base station, called GSM Network In A Box, supplied by interWAVE Communications. This station is wired into the ship`s satellite communications system via a modem. The signal then goes via the satellite to the service provider`s earth station, then from there via land line to BT`s station at Goonhilly, and on to Max Telecom on the Isle of Man, which is BT`s GSM network provider. From there it is switched to the worldwide GSM community and routed on to its destination. Passengers will only be able to use their mobile phones if they are compatible with the GSM band installed on their cruise ship. Some European handsets operate on the dual band of 900 and 1800Hz, while the those in North America only use 1900Hz. Owners of triple band phones will be able to use them on any cruise ship fitted with Cruise Connect. The system on board P&O`s ships is based on the 900 MHz band for European-based ships and 1900MHz for the US market.