SURFING THE WAVES
WINS extends GSM telephony and broadband for Grandi Navi Veloci

Here we discover in more detail how being all at sea, doesn’t mean that you’re cut off from the rest of the world.

In May this year, Grandi Navi Veloci, a leading European passenger and goods transporter, launched a satellite-based communications network on its luxury cruise-ferries, enabling passengers and crew to benefit from GSM telephony and broadband services while sailing in the western Mediterranean.

How it works on water
The service is provided by WINS, a joint venture set up by Skylogic, Eutelsat’s broadband affiliate, and Maltasat International. Satellite is used for a two-way high-speed connection between vessels and the Internet backbone, via Skylogic’s teleport in Turin. For the GSM service, WINS has installed a routing platform at the Turin teleport, which connects the local GSM network onboard ship with the global GSM network via Maltasat International’s gateway facilities and an agreement with Vodafone Malta.

WINS’s turnkey package includes procurement, installation and maintenance of networks onboard ships, complete accounting and billing. Based on Skylogic’s D-STAR system, the equipment deployed on GNV vessels is made up of a stabilised 1.2 metre antenna, which communicates with capacity on Eutelsat’s ATLANTIC BIRD™ 1 satellite.

When a ship sails from the coast and loses the terrestrial GSM signal, a network signal on passengers’ mobile phones indicates that they can place calls and use SMS, via international roaming arrangements. Using VoIP, calls can also be made from cabins and suites with fixed phones, as well as from the public phone facility, at rates of 1.5 euros per minute. Internet access is available on passengers’ individual laptops through a Wi-Fi network and at eight fixed facilities located onboard, at rates of 10 to 20 euros per hour, depending on the time of day. Fixed phone calls and Internet access can be paid for using GNV-branded prepaid calling cards, or credit cards.

Commercial and logistic benefits
In addition to providing passenger services, network brings commercial benefits of remote credit card authorisations for payments e-mail communication in order to coordinate logistics for goods transport. Grandi Veloci also uses the network for real-connection from the Captain’s Bridge headquarters in Genoa. This enables them streamline supply management logistics, also to control the security systems, which governs magnetic-card access to the cabins.

Dr. Aldo Grimaldi, President of Grandi Veloci pointed out the key benefits from perspective; “The innovative solution proposed by WINS enables Grandi Navi Veloci to provide passengers with a satellite-based solution extending mobile telephony and broadband services at sea. Real-time remote monitoring and management of our onboard sales also be an efficient tool for even better service management and optimisation.”