Contributing to High-speed Communication and Safe Navigation for Crewmembers and Passengers
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.
KDDI Corporation
August 1,2023
-- TOKYO Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Takeshi Hashimoto; Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo) and KDDI Corporation (President: Makoto Takahashi; Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) today announced that from August 2023 onward, the two companies will conduct trial use of satellite broadband
Starlink Business (in Japanese only) onboard a MOL Group-operated cruise ship, ferries, and a coastal RORO vessel aimed at enhancing the communication environment aboard ships.
Starlink enables a communication environment with a maximum download speed of 220 Mbps [
1] during the voyage, and contributes to High-speed Communication and Safe Navigation for Crewmembers and Passengers. The trial will evaluate the system from both technical and economic standpoints, and MOL Group plans to introduce the system from autumn 2023 onwards, depending on the situation and schedule of each ship.
ferries Sunflower Sapporo and Sunflower Satsuma, and
coastal RORO vessel Musashi Maru>
Background
At sea, signals from far-off base stations are weak, making it difficult to use ordinary high-speed cell phone communications. Conventionally, satellite communication services using geostationary orbiting satellites have been utilized, but the increasing volume of information and data presents challenges for real-time ship-to-shore communication.
For ocean shipping companies that operate ships at sea, improving the quality of ship safety management is an important initiative to ensure safe navigation. Improving the onboard communication environment is critical to more effectively sharing systems and data related to ship operations with land-based staff in real time.
Many crewmembers, especially younger ones, have expressed a need for the same high-speed Internet access that is available on land, so the working environment must be improved by eliminating the onshore/offshore information gap. In addition, cruise ship and ferry passengers are increasingly requesting high-speed Internet access onboard as a way to enrich their travel experience.
About the Trial In this trial, a total of four ships the cruise ship Nippon Maru operated by MOL Cruises, Ltd. [
2] (President: Yusuke Ueno; Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo), the ferry Sunflower Sapporo and RORO vessel Musashi Maru operated by MOL Ferry Co., Ltd. (President: Naotoshi Omoto; Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), and the ferry Sunflower Satsuma operated by Ferry Sunflower Limited (President: Mitsujiro Akasaka; Head Office: Oita-shi, Oita Prefecture), will be equipped with the Starlink Business communication service for maritime use [
3]. The initial trial will be conducted with crewmembers and employees, and based on the results, the companies will discuss expanding the use of the trial to passengers onboard.
About Starlink for Trial Use
A communication service for maritime use of Starlink Business, a satellite broadband service provided by KDDI to corporations and municipalities.
Starlink enables a communication environment with a maximum download speed of 220 Mbps during the voyage. The environment will be comparable to land-based internet service, enabling easy access to information necessary for navigation.
High-speed communication will also enable passengers on cruise ships and ferries to share videos and other information taken during their trip in real time.
MOL Group has already conducted trials on ocean-going ships and confirmed an improvement in communication speed of up to 50 times compared to existing communication facilities [
4].
MOL and KDDI will offer more comfortable cruises and improve the quality of work and life onboard for crewmembers while further pursuing digital transformation at sea, by utilizing satellite communication services that enable high-speed communication in maritime areas where it is difficult to establish a communication environment.
[1]
The July 3, 2023 KDDI News Release
Starlink is now available for use at sea
First to offer service, starting from within Japans territorial waters (in Japanese only)
[2]
On August 1, 2023, the company name was changed from Mitsui O.S.K. Passenger Line, Ltd. to MOL Cruises, Ltd.
[3]
Use at sea is limited to 12 nautical miles (approx. 22 km) seaward of the reference coastline (baseline).
Mobile use on land is not allowed. Communication speed is on a best-effort basis.
[4]
The December 12, 2022, MOL press release
MOL to Introduce Trial Use of Starlink Satellite Communication Service onboard Ocean-going Vessels
-More safer operations and improved quality of life for crew members-
The June 6, 2023 MOL press release
MOL Conducts Sea Trial of Starlink Satellite Communication Service Onboard Ocean-going Vessel
- Confirmed up to 50 Times Faster Communication Speed -
The information contained in the news releases is current at the time of publication. Products, service fees,service content and specifications, contact information, and other details are subject to change without notice.
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
09/05/2024
CINCINNATI Meredith Delaney has been appointed president and CEO of the Scripps Howard Fund, the philanthropic arm of The E.W. Scripps Company....
09/05/2024
Following leaks earlier this month of Walmart's plans to launch a new 4K streaming box, Walmart has officially unveiled the Onn. 4K Pro, a hybrid streaming ...
09/05/2024
DirecTV continues to add CW affiliates to its streaming line-up, with the addition of four stations owned by Gray Television....
09/05/2024
Takeshi Kitano's film KUBI graded with DaVinci Resolve
Brie Clayton May 8, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design today announced that DaVinci Resolve ...
09/05/2024
zweiB updates to latest version of R&S CLIPSTER
Brie Clayton May 8, 2024
0 Comments
Specialist in deliverables for cinema, events and trade shows
Ro...
09/05/2024
Simplify Your Filmmaking with Portable Lights
Sean Alami May 8, 2024
0 Comments
Discover the sleek, mobile Zhiyun lights that enhance cinematic scenes...
09/05/2024
The Benefits of using an Audio Interface
Colin Smith May 8, 2024
0 Comments
This tutorial takes you through the hardware and software benefits of usin...
09/05/2024
Capitol Broadcasting has a myriad of ways to celebrate Mom! In honor of Mother's Day, here are a few ideas CBC divisions have to help you honor, or remember...
09/05/2024
Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch said his company, The Walt Disney Co. and Warner Bros. Discovery are in a two-minute drill to get their streaming sports joint venture t...
09/05/2024
NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. is joining the Prime Video broadcast booth when the streaming network begins NASCAR Cup Series coverage next year. Earnhardt Jr...
09/05/2024
If upfront advertisers are looking for reach, Nexstar Media Group believes its base of local stations gives it a unique way to achieve that goal....
09/05/2024
NBCUniversal Local's 15 NBC and Telemundo local and regional streaming news channels begin launching on Pluto TV this month, starting May 8 with five channe...
09/05/2024
BET Plus said it has set May 16 as the premiere date for its original movie Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead....
09/05/2024
Heading into the upfront, the advertising market is noticeably healthier than it was a year ago, Rita Ferro, president of global advertising sales at The Walt D...
09/05/2024
Rohde & Schwarz showcases operational efficiency at MPTS Uncompromised quality and reliability coupled with simplicity and efficiency
Rohde & Schwarz will ...
08/05/2024
Diego Luna's character Beto aims to play professional soccer in Carlos Cuar n's film Rudo y Cursi....
08/05/2024
SGL Carbon had a solid start to the first quarter of 2024. Despite the slight decline in sales of 3.9% to 272.6 million (Q1 2023: 283.7 million), adjusted EBI...
08/05/2024
The results are in from Malm Arena as Semi Final 1 participants move through to...
08/05/2024
Powerful NITV documentary Kindred to premiere during Reconciliation Week
Media releases
A journey of family, friendship and home *Watch the trailer here*
...
08/05/2024
Aerojet Rocketdyne delivers a broad range of capabilities to support hypersonic ...
08/05/2024
Selected by Fincantieri Marinette Marine, L3Harris is the shipboard design integrator and a key partner on the Fincantieri team for delivering critical subsyste...
08/05/2024
EditShare Goes Beyond Storage at MPTS
Workflow, server and delivery solutions from storyboard to screen
Stand D40, London Olympia, May 15-16, 2024 - EditShar...
08/05/2024
TYSONS, Va. Tegna Inc. and the Indiana Fever have announced they have expanded the broadcast distribution of 17 Fever WNBA games to 11 additional markets....
08/05/2024
PHILADELPHIA Comcast Business has increased Internet speeds for customers, nationwide, at no additional cost and has introduced its fastest Internet plans yet ...
08/05/2024
Clear-Com , a renowned provider of professional real-time communication solutions, is thrilled to announce its participation at InfoComm 2024, the largest profe...
08/05/2024
Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC), a Nikon company, is one of the 252 organisations recognised with a prestigious King's Award for Enterprise. Announced to...
08/05/2024
EditShare, the technology leader that enables storytellers to create and manage collaborative workflows at every stage from storyboard to screen, is exhibiting ...
08/05/2024
Magnifi by VideoVerse an AI-driven video technology company and powerful video-editing SaaS platform is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with Linius ...
08/05/2024
NVIDIA RTX GPU Connects DaVinci Resolve to Power
Brie Clayton May 8, 2024
0 Comments
Two of the most important questions that the Creative COW audienc...
08/05/2024
Q&A with Visiting Artist Lei Liang The acclaimed composer discusses his collaboration with Boston Conservatory, his work as a research artist, and what it mea...
08/05/2024
A second group of stations has begun broadcasting NextGen TV signals in San Antonio, Texas....
08/05/2024
NBC has ordered a second season of unscripted Deal or No Deal Island. Joe Manganiello hosts, and executive produces alongside Howie Mandel. Manganiello will ret...
08/05/2024
Tegna said it named Greg Retsinas as president and general manager of KGW, the NBC affiliate in Portland, Oregon, effective June 3....
08/05/2024
Comscore lost money in the first quarter as weak linear ad sales impacted its cross-platform measurement business....
08/05/2024
NBC said it bolstered its comedy slate by renewing Lopez vs. Lopez and ordering Happy's Place, starring Reba McEntire....
08/05/2024
Paramount Plus's Knuckles knocked Amazon Prime Video's Fallout out of the top spot in TVision's Power Score ranking of the top show on connected TV ...
08/05/2024
Tegna, which made a deal to broadcast 17 Indiana Fever games featuring top WNBA draft pick Caitlin Clark, said it made deals that will put the games on stations...
08/05/2024
EchoStar said it lost another 348,000 pay TV subscribers so far this year, closing the first quarter with 8.18 million subscribers. That total includes 6.26 mil...
08/05/2024
Fox reported a profit for its fiscal third quarter....
08/05/2024
Kinesso, the centralized tech and data unit at media agency IPG Mediabrands, named Tom Amies-Cull as global chief operating officer and Amie Owen as global chie...
08/05/2024
The solutions in-browser stream focuses on low latency, making it suited to low bandwidth scenarios
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 8, 2024
The solutio...
08/05/2024
Driven by algorithms, the solution performs a quality analysis informed by language-specific dictionaries
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 8, 2024
Drive...
08/05/2024
The increase in fleet size will reduce travel distances, aligning with sustainability goals, said Mobilelinks
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 8, 2024
T...
08/05/2024
The company said the new arrivals would drive collaboration and technological transformation across key business units
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 8, ...
08/05/2024
Following a successful NAB Las Vegas 2024 and winning a Best of Show Award, Actus Digital, a leading provider of Intelligent Monitoring Platforms, will bring it...
08/05/2024
TAG Video Systems, a leading force in video monitoring solutions, has developed a new Language Detection feature set to transform how operators ensure quality a...
08/05/2024
Pliant Technologies, a leading provider of professional wireless intercom solutions,presents its new SmartBoom LITE Headset at InfoComm 2024 (Booth C5116). The ...
08/05/2024
At the Media Production & Technology Show 2024, Prism Sound will showcase high-quality audio conversion products designed to suit the demands of professional us...